


Of Broken Hearts and Flower Shops

by favefangirl



Series: Of Sterek Love and Tumblr Prompts [1]
Category: teen wolf - Fandom
Genre: Alcohol, Bad coping mechanisms, Boyd cheating on Erica, Boyd is not a good guy, Caring siblings, Coping, Drunkness, F/F, F/M, Flirting, Flower Talk, Flowers, Grief, Human AU, Lack of Communication, Loss, M/M, Normalcy, Not Friends, Proposals, Sibling Love, Slow Build, Smut, Vernon Boyd & Derek Hale Friendship, anniversaries of death, bad deicisions by good people, bashful!Derek, but fucking jennifer, but i'll tag it anyway, co-dependancy, creepy flirty jennifer, engagements, everyone hates jennifer, fanboy derek hale, flirty!Stiles, flower shop au, lawyer!derek, like it's only smut if you squint, like the tamest, loving siblings, more than friends, sterek, sufffering, tame smut, the universe hates derek, unknowing meetings, writer!stiles, wtf even are my tags
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-08-21
Updated: 2017-08-21
Packaged: 2018-08-10 06:21:57
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 30
Words: 30,503
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7833703
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/favefangirl/pseuds/favefangirl
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>When Derek agrees to work at his sisters flower shop while she's out of town, he doesn't expect someone important to waltz through the door and into his life.<br/>But when Stiles bursts in, his chaotic personality and hundred-watt-smile do something to Derek.<br/>Suddenly, they keep bumping into each other in the most random of places, almost as though it's fate?<br/>But, Derek's life is complicated and he's a damaged person. He doesn't want to drag Stiles down with him.<br/>Will 'fate' give him a choice?</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Expensive Cologne and Tan Lines

**Author's Note:**

> Hello.  
> Basically, it's eleven PM, and I just wrote this based on a tumblr post  
> [here](http://puppykakarot.tumblr.com/post/145915319207/flower-shop-au)  
> and I want to write it as a multi-chapter fic.  
> So chapter one is done, but I need to write the rest. Oops.  
> Hopefully I'll update at least once a week but not promises (if I'm down on inspiration, it could be months, for which I apologise). You have my permission to go to my Instagram (Favefangirl) and DM me abuse until I update (and then tell me I'm pretty to restore my ego).  
> I'm not sure how good this will be (ha ha ha, really selling it here) but hopefully our shared love of Sterek will prevail.  
> I'll tag and add relationships as appropriate, and maybe make the rating higher if needs be. This is a total AU so no spoilers. This will probably only include the characters up to season two because I haven't seen season 3 yet, but hopefully soon!  
> Anyways, I hope you enjoy the fic!

Laura was away, busy doing... _something_. Derek wasn't exactly sure, but then Laura always was secretive. As a child, Derek didn't hunt for presents from his parents, he'd find them easily, it was no fun. But Laura somehow always managed to hide them somewhere that Derek could never find, no matter how long he spent searching. She was just as good at keeping secrets, so Derek didn't see any point in asking where she'd gone - if she hadn't told him straight away, she wasn't going to tell him at all.

So, Laura was gone, and Derek was stood wearing an apron. A fern coloured, knee length apron. In a flower shop. Selling flowers. Professional lawyer Derek Hale who spent an hour a day (except Sundays) at the gym. Was selling lavender plants to old ladies that smiled and called him 'handsome young man' (Derek absolutely did not blush). Laura _seriously_ owed him one! Or ten!

_A Peony Saved_ flower shop in the middle of New York had a huge, iridescent sign in the front that harshly contrasted the dull grey of the street around it. When Laura and Derek first moved to New York after the death of their parents, Derek had started as an apprentice at _Whittemore and Boyd_ under the wing of Vernon Milton Boyd III. Laura, wanting to 'add some colour' to their lives opened up the flower shop. It took a while to get going, but it got there in the end. Derek was so proud of Laura for that.

The shop distracted Laura from her grief, it helped her heal in an odd sort of way. Derek drowned all his emotions in work and working out until his body _cried_ for rest. It wasn't healthy, wasn't pretty. And, although Derek would never admit to anyone, especially not Laura, it wasn't effective. He still sometimes woke up at night with 'mum' or 'dad' a cry on his lips.

Talia and Kent Hales' deaths were tragic - a car accident on the way to Cora's High School graduation. Derek had been at home when they'd rushed out the door saying they were late. Derek had to go somewhere too, but he can't remember where, and couldn't go to the graduation. Laura was out of town. They'd been speeding, swerved to avoid something running across the road, both died on impact. Derek had been the one to call Laura, Cora still blamed herself.

Cora went to college in Maine, about a seven and a half hour drive away, eight and half if you want to miss the tolls. But Cora didn't want to see Derek or Laura anymore, she never called except a quick five-minute chat at christmas, and stayed with friends when it wasn't term time. Derek was friends with her on Facebook, probably Laura too, but it was just to see what she was doing, to check she was okay.

Life went on. Derek got a full-time job at _Whittemore and Boyd_ , met a load of great people there, ate dinner with Laura at least once a week, and tried to ignore the ache in his chest. He could mope around and make excuses, but Laura wouldn't let him, and he knew his parents would hate that. He wanted, as he always had, to make them proud.

Suddenly, the chime above the shop door rang out. A tall, handsome, middle aged man with slick back hair walked into the shop. He wore a dark suit, had an easy grin that made Derek's stomach twist, and even above the stench from the flowers, Derek could smell his cologne. He swaggered over to the counter. He placed a tanned hand on the firm, oak top, and Derek saw immediately the white strip of skin.

Derek had heard Laura talk about the shop and its customers enough times to know that this guy showed all the signs of a married man having an affair. Random scenes from _Fatal Attraction_ flashed through Derek's mind, and he hid his laugh behind a cough. He could make jokes when his sister's business wasn't on the line.

"Hey," The guy crooned, making Derek's skin prickle and his hair stand on end. "I'm lookin' for a nice bunch'a red roses."

The guys smile never faltered, and Derek felt somewhat queezy. Nevertheless, he forced himself to smile and moved out from behind the small counter. He slipped on a pair of thick gardening gloves, and walked to the front of the shop where the crimson roses sat in a black bucket of water.

"How many do you want?" Derek asked, taking one out of the bucket at a time.

"A dozen." The guy replied, leaning against the counter confidently.

Derek nodded, and carefully took twelve roses out of the bucket. He was sure to pick the best looking ones, this assholes wife deserved it after what he'd been doing. Derek walked back towards the counter, and the guy watched his every move almost too carefully. Derek knew he was a good looking guy, most girls (and some guys) practically threw themselves at him, that didn't mean he particularly _enjoyed_ or even _liked_ the attention!

Derek placed the roses down and asked, "Do you want them wrapped or...?"

The guy - still smiling - replied, "Sure, why not."

Derek selected some glittery, cerice wrapping paper, and layed that on the counter, placing the vibrant roses on top. The guy watched as Derek somwhat expertly (he'd been helping Laura in the shop for years, he knew what he was doing by now) wrapped the roses, and tied a slightly paler pink boy around them.

"Do you want a card, too?" Derek asked politely.

"Let it say, 'to my darling wife, with all my love'. Thanks." The guy explained with a wink.

Derek did his best not to frown as he found a card from inside the tiny set of drawers on the counter. He wrote what the guy had asked in his best cursive (a secret skill of his which only he and Laura knew about, anonymous customers notwithstanding), before putting the card into the bouquet.

"That'll be thirty-five dollars, please." Derek said, forcing a smile.

The guy fished his wallet out of an inside pocket of his jacket, and pulled out a two twenties. He handed them to Derek whilst looking Derek up and down in a way that can only be described as preditory. Derek put the money into the till, pulled out a five and handed it to the guy.

"Thanks." The guy said, taking the flowers from Derek's hands and sauntering back out of the shop.

The smell of his cologne still lingered, and Derek couldn't help hoping Laura wouldn't be gone too long. He loved being able to help her out, but he wasn't exactly what you'd call a 'people person'. Dealing with difficult, flirty, annoying, whatever customers was Derek's idea of hell! Inside court, he was in his element, only focused on winning the case. Outside of that, he was reduced to the shy twenty-two year old who cried himself to sleep at night he'd been when he'd first moved to the city.

Deep down he knew he would always be that guy.

 


	2. Ready Meals and Escapism

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> There's some wearing in this, so if I should maybe set the rating higher let me know! Thanks.  
> But hey, round of applause for me updating in the SAME WEEK! You should be proud, this almost never happens (don't get used to it, that'd only end in insurmountable disappointment).

Derek's apartment was a short twenty-minute subway ride from _A Peony Saved_ , in a tall apartment building that was once a hotel until someone was murdered there, and the high-class clientele they had received once no longer wanted to stay there. It was derelict for a while before someone bought it and refurbished it. The apartments aren't over-big, but they have big kitchens, a bath and shower, tall windows and good WiFi. And, they're cheap (by New York's standard, anyway).

When Derek got home that night, he felt exhausted. A day in court didn't tire him out as much as a day bunching iris and orchids. All day forcing smiles and listening to complete strangers drone on about their mundane lives. On his way home, Derek texted Laura asking when she'd be home. Quite cryptically, she texted back saying she'd return once she'd finished doing what it was she was off doing.

Derek slipped off his jacket, put his phone on charge, and turned on his iPod. He selected an album titled 'long day', and listened to the calming music of _Sleeping At Last_. He walked into his kitchen, glared at the bottle of wine on his counter (a gift from a client he had gotten off for petty theft charges) and pulled a ready meal out of his freezer.

Whilst the microwave cooked, above its droning hum, the vocals from _Saturn_ played through his docking station. It was one of his favourites, a song which had become his anthem during the hard months after the death of his parents. The music was beautiful and the lyrics poetic.

_You taught me the courage of stars before you left_.

The microwave dinged, high and loud. Derek got a clean plate out of his dishwasher, and placed the plastic container onto it.

_How light carries on endlessly even after death_.

He carried his dinner back into the living room with him, getting a fork out of his cutlery drawer as he went.

_With shortness of breath you explained the infinite_.

He ate and listened to the song.

_How rare and beautiful it is to even exist_.

His towering bookshelf caught his eye. He read a lot, trying to escape his meaningless life by 'living' in a different world for a little while. He had all the usual escapist's choices: Harry Potter, the Maze Runner, Divergent, the Hunger Games, etc. But a few more obscure ones, too. For example, the Chaos Walking trilogy or The 100. Or, his latest obsession, _Infinity_.

_Infinity_ was the title of the series by M. Stilinski. It was a cynics wet dream, all biting wit and undeniable political messages. Derek was somewhat in love with the author purely through his writing. When M. Stilinski self-published _Living_ , everyone thought it was a one off, he wasn't a big name and didn't have a famous publishing house backing him. Everyone assumed he'd fade away. When he released _Breathing_ a few months later, everyone knew he was here to stay.

Derek finished eating, and tore his eyes away from the spine of the third book in the series, _Continuing_.

_How rare and beautiful it truly is that we exist_.

He threw the plastic tub away, and washed his plate and fork by hand, leaving them on the draining board once he was finished. He turned his iPod off halfway through _99 Red Balloons_ , and the apartment was drenched in silence once more. He tugged off his t-shirt as he walked into his bedroom, and threw it into his laundry basket as he passed it, slamming his door behind him. He swapped his jeans for pyjama pants, and climbed into bed.

The only big problem with his apartment was seriously thin walls, and as he settled down and tried to sleep, all he could hear his neighbours going at it in the next room. Derek groaned in annoyance, and tried to bury his head between his pillows, but it did nothing to mute the moaning drifting through the wall. With an irritated sigh, he wrestled out of bed and back into his living room.

He stood awkwardly in his bedroom doorway for a moment, and listened to the quiet - somewhat preoccupied neighbour notwithstanding. Truth was, he was alone. Laura was dating some guy who worked as a tattoo artist a little way across the city, and had friends dotted all over the state (and the country). But Derek wasn't good at 'friends'. He had Boyd (the younger) and Boyd's girlfriend, Erica. But that was it. Apart from them, he had his job and his books (and his sister).

Derek dragged a hand over his face, telling himself to _stop_ feeling sorry for himself. He didn't need self-pity, hadn't for a long time. He walked over to his bookshelf and pulled _Living_ out. He threw himself onto his sofa, and opened the familiar book. He'd read it about ten times, but it made him happy and calm. What was the harm in reading it again?

_Space fucking sucks. I mean, really sucks. All these stars and planets and shit. I must really like this chick if I let her drag me to a space museum. I mean, what's so interesting about it, anyway? Sure, it's_ vast _or whatever, but still. It's_ vastly _boring! This planet is X far from the sun, that planet does this, our planet's gone tits-up. We get it, global warming's going to fuck us over so let's just stare at all these models of other planets which we can't survive on because they don't have an internet connection..._

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sleeping At Last is one of my favourite bands (Saturn is the first song I heard by them and I was listening to it when I wrote this and thought the lyrics were quite fitting).   
> Sorry these chapters are quite slow paced (and there's no sign of Stiles ye), I'm just trying to solidify Derek as a pre-Stiles character, and properly introduce him. Sorry.  
> Be sure to follow my Instagram - Favefangirl - to get updates when I post a new chapter, and to see my other posts (I'm multi-fandom because I literally cannot choose one).  
> Also, follow my tumblr [here](https://www.tumblr.com/blog/all-the-best-urls-were-used) where I'll leave links to this fic.  
> Please leave kudos and comment what you want to see in future chapters because the more inspiration I have, the more I'll update and we might finally have a Sterek fic instead of a mildly depressed Derek ambling around New York!


	3. Best Friends and Future Fiances

Derek woke up the next day with a book digging painfully into his cheek, and his phone ringing loudly out into the apartment. Clumsily, he rolled himself off his sofa and scrambled to his feet. He hurried over to where his phone still sat on charge, and answered it, ending its ceaseless (and entirely annoying at half past seven in the morning) ringing.

"Hey, Derek, you up?" Boyd's voice came through the speaker.

"No, I'm fast asleep." Derek replied facetiously. Derek could practically hear Boyd roll his eyes.

He met Boyd when he first began his apprenticeship at _Boyd and Whittemore_. Boyd was also an apprentice there, hoping to follow in his father's footsteps and become an infamous Lawyer. He and Derek spent many a late night filing cases away, and prowling through evidence to help out on particularly difficult law suits. It didn't take long for them to become best friends.

"Look, Derek, now is not the time for sarcasm." Boyd scolded, voice sounding frantic.

"Hell yes, it's not the time, it's seven in the morning!" Derek countered.

"Half past, but that's not the point!" Boyd exclaimed.

"Hey, calm down, what's the matter?" Derek soothed.

"Can you come to mine please?" Boyd asked, sounding desperate.

"I mean, I start work at nine..." Derek said, feeling slightly guilty. He didn't want to disappoint Boyd, but this was Laura's _livelihood_ they were talking about.

"I'm going to propose to Erica!"

"I'll be over in twenty."

\--

Boyd's apartment was a five minute walk away, through more dull streets, past more strangers hurrying around even before eight AM. Derek hated the predictability of New York more than anything else. It was so clichéd, so typical, Derek missed the excitement of not knowing what was going to happen tomorrow. Some days more than others...

Boyd's apartment was smaller than Derek's and only had a shower, but was more expensive. Derek often told Boyd to move into his building, but Boyd always said he was perfectly happy where he was. Derek thought perhaps Boyd found some sentimental value in his building, but it was a shabby, run down little thing, so he doubted it very much.

When Derek had arrived, Boyd had been curled up into a ball on his sofa, glaring at a green velvet box which sat on his coffee table. Derek had picked up the box and opened it, taking a look at the ring. It was silver with a quaint diamond surrounded by even smaller jewels. It sparkled in the light streaming in through the window. Derek put it down and went into Boyd's kitchen in search of coffee (and maybe something stronger).

"So," Derek said walking back into the living room with two piping mugs of coffee. He set one down in front of Boyd before sitting down on the sofa and taking a sip from his own. "You're going to propose?"

Boyd nodded, still staring at the ring box. "Yep."

"You freaking out?" Derek asked.

"Yep."

"Know how you're going to do it?"

"Nope."

Derek let out a little laugh. Erica and Boyd had been dating for as long as Derek had known them, and Erica had been dropping hints about a possible ring for almost as long. They were one of those obnoxious 'end-game' couples who argued like they were already married, and acted like best friends, and never _really_ fought about anything.

Erica was a bit wild, purposefully flirtatious with a biting tongue, and sarcastic reply to everything. When Derek was around, she was just one of the guys (with more cleavage, as a drunk Jackson once pointed out seconds before Boyd's fist got acquainted with his jaw. When he finally sobered up, Jackson apologised and everything was sweet between them again).

But Boyd somehow managed to tame her, they were totally loyal to each other (even if they flirted a bit with others) and were perfectly matched. Boyd, the strong silent type, with Erica, the talkative emotional type. They just worked. Derek was surprised it had taken this long for Boyd to finally pluck up the courage.

Boyd sat up and finally spoke again, "I'm thinking dinner? But isn't that a cliché? If it's too cliché, she'll say no. What if I hung up fairy lights that spelled it out? I could jump out of a cake, or rent a billboard?"

"Okay, calm down Casanova. Maybe think of what you're going to even _say_ first, then think about grand gestures later, okay?" Derek laughed. Boyd did have a tendency to overreact. "Listen, we have half an hour to plan something before I have to go to work. Why don't we approach this like we would a court case? Brainstorm ideas, look at the facts, you know the drill."

Boyd nodded somewhat numbly, and Derek could already tell it was going to be a very, _very_ long day.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Good news everyone! I've written the chapter where Stiles is properly introduced so we might get some Sterek in this Sterek fic at some point! Yay!  
> Please leave comments and kudos, they make me smile!


	4. Hundred Dollar Bills and Hundred Watt Smiles

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And finally the prompt is met...

Derek's day is slow. He has enough time between his first two customers to read a newspaper he bought from the stand on his way into work all the way through, and between the second two he goes to the coffee shop around the corner to pick up a sandwich and muffin for his lunch. By four thirty, he half considers closing early - three hours early, no less (why Laura kept the shop open so late, Derek just couldn't decipher).

He'd gotten a call around noon from Boyd saying that he was invited to a party at the firm that night. Derek agreed to go purely because Boyd sounded on the brink of a mental breakdown, and he was a good friend like that. Then, Boyd hung up and Derek was left with the silent flower shop once again.

Literally seconds before he was about to flip the 'open' sign around so it said 'closed', a man burst into the shop. He looked fairly young - perhaps a year or two younger than Derek - he was lanky, with a tall frame and unruly hair. His lips were thick but slightly chapped, as though they had been bitten often, his nose was turned slightly upwards, and his eyes were a thick caramel coloured. And bright, his eyes were so, so bright.

He barged right up to the counter, not stopping to look around, and slammed a hundred onto the counter. He looked Derek right in the eye as he somewhat breathily said, "How do I passive-aggressively sat fuck you in flowers."

Derek, taken aback by the bluntness of the guy could only stutter, "Do you have a budget?"

"No, not really. Maybe lets not go into the thousands though, okay handsome." He replied with a wink.

Derek nodded dumbly and slipped on his gardening gloves. He moved out from behind the counter, and looked about the shop at the array of colours and flowers, each with it's own unique meaning. A few caught his eye, and slowly an idea formulated in his head. He walked over to a black bucket holding Geraniums. He picked three and looked up to find the customer staring at him intently, interest evident in his pretty eyes.

"Geraniums mean stupidity." Derek explained, sounding ridiculous. "And Foxgloves mean insincerity, Meadowsweets mean uselessness, Yellow Carnations mean 'you have disappointed me', Orange Lilies mean hatred, Bee Orchids mean disgust and Asphodels roughly mean my regrets will follow you beyond the grave."

Derek had been making his way through the shop, picking up a few of each flower until he held in his hands a beautiful, vibrant bouquet. He turned around and the customer was staring at him, looking impressed. He grinned when he met Derek's eye, and Derek gave him the first sincere smile he had given in the days he'd been working at the shop.

Derek walked over to the counter and laid the bouquet down before asking, "Do you want them wrapped in colour?"

"Uh, no, thanks." The customer replied, a small blush darkening his cheeks.

Derek nodded, and covered the flowers in the dull brown paper that the flowers came wrapped in. He taped the paper shut with two strips of tape and looked back at the customer, "Would you like a card?"

"No, I'm delivering them by hand, thanks." The customer explained with a small smile.

Derek nodded and typed some sums into the calculator that sat on the desk next to the cash register before saying, "That's, uh, fifty-five dollars."

The customer slid forward the hundred still on the counter, and Derek took it. He slipped it into the cash register, and pulled out two twenties and a five. He handed them to the customer along with the bouquet, and offered what he hoped was a kind smile (and not a grimace, as he was prone to do).

"Thank you, have a nice day." He said politely.

"Yeah, you too." The customer said with a nod, before hurrying back out of the shop at the same speed as he entered.

Derek watched him go with a frown. He had been the first customer all day who hadn't made needless small-talk or complimented Derek on this that and the other. It was refreshing, and somehow calming. The quiet, Derek being in control of the conversation, the smile. God, that guy had the most incredible smile. It was pretty and contagious, and Derek had it memorised without even meaning to. His voice was silky and smooth, and Derek could feel himself melting under it. It was like a spell Derek was slowly falling under.

He slid off his gardening gloves, and put them away. He then stared at the clock, willing the hours to pass faster.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> spoiler alert: Stiles was the guy (bet you hadn't guessed).  
> I have chapter five written, and most of chapter six, but I still need inspiration so please comment things you'd like to see in the story and I'll try to see what I can do!  
> Thank you to AvidReader for commenting on the last chapter!  
> Thanks for reading, I'll post chapter five in a couple of days!  
> Thanks again!


	5. Champagne Flutes and Familiar Faces

The party, just like every other Derek had attended since getting involved with _Boyd and Whittemore_ , was a total bore. Rich people discussing their third homes, and inviting people they can't stand for drinks on yachts just to prove how much money they have. Fake laughs and even fake-er people. Derek wasn't sure what it was in aid of as he made his way through the guests to where Boyd and Jackson were stood talking to old associates of their fathers.

Boyd caught sight of Derek stood awkwardly in the crowd, in a tight suit which he hates to wear, and waved him over. Gratefully, Derek walked over and said hello. Jackson, the charming guy that he was, did no more than give Derek a quick glance before returning to his conversation.

"So, uh, why am I wearing Ted Baker right now?" Derek asked behind a false grin as to not draw attention to himself.

"Some author guy's signed to publishing house which we represent. Apparently, he's not happy about it but his lawyer who's actually only his friend in a suit says he has to. He's pretty famous according to the house, wrote some best-sellers, is currently writing more." Boyd explained, mirroring Derek's expression. He hated theses events just as much as Derek did.

"Mysterious author guy have a name?" Derek asked, taking a sip from a champagne flute he nabbed as a waiter passed.

"M... something beginning with S." Boyd replied, frowning in concerntration.

Derek's head snapped up and he caught Boyd's eye, his own wide. "M. Stilinski? We're representing M. Stilinski?"

"Yeah, that's it." Boyd agreed. "You've heard of him?"

_Heard of him? I'm_ obsessed _with him!_ "Yeah, I've heard of him." Derek replied, telling himself to calm down.

Derek's heart was racing. _The_ M. Stilinski! His favourite author! His firm was representing M. Stilinski! He willed himself to calm down, just because the firm was representing M. Stilinski, that didn't mean Derek would meet him. Derek handled whatever was handed to him, and if the publishing house knew the gold mine they'd just signed, then either Boyd or Jackson would handle him themselves. They were, afterall, the most experienced of everyone at the firm. Derek would maybe catch a glance of Stilinski every now and then, but that would be it. He wondered if Stilinski was as handsome as he imagined...

"Look, Derek, I'm freaking out!" Boyd said, his voice hushed so the people crowded around couldn't hear. "Erica gets back from Thailand next week, I don't think I can do it. What if she says no?"

Derek rolled his eyes. "She won't say no."

"Yes, but you don't _know_ that!" Boyd argued, raising his voice just slightly.

"Yes I do, because I've spent more than five seconds are you two, I can tell you're meant to be." Derek soothed, offering a small smile.

Suddenly the conversation was interrupted as a lanky guy with unruly hair pressed through the crowd towards Jackson, holding the most obnoxiously colourful bouquet most people had ever seen. Derek caught sight of the flowers as the guy reached Jackson, and he immediately recognised the eyes and the smile.

"Hello Mr. Whittemore." The guy said, "I know you're not much of a flowers guy but this is just a thank you from me for _ensuring_ I signed to Daehler Publishing House." He kept his shit-eating grin as he spoke.

"Oh, thanks." Jackson replied caught somewhere between confused, unimpressed and embarrassed. "Hey, Derek's a flower expert. What do these flowers say."

Derek, who had been staring at the guy throughout the exchange turned his head to look at Jackson instead. "Uh, thanks. They-they combine to mean thanks." He lied, and out of the corner of his eye he saw the guy raise an eyebrow.

"Interesting." Jackson crooned, clearly not interested in the slightest. "Well, everyone, might I introduce our newest client, Mr. M. Stilinski."

"Please, call me Stiles." The guy - Stiles replied, looking directly at Derek who couldn't help but blush slightly under his gaze.

This was _the_ M. Stilinski! Stood right here, in front of him! He nearly lost the ability to function! Stiles... He'd met M. Stilinski and he'd droned on about what different flowers meant! He didn't even have an ordinary person conversation with _the_ M. Stilinski. He'd talked about fucking flowers... Unbelievable...

"Stiles? But-"

"Yeah, I go by Stiles." Stiles interrupted as Jackson began speaking. "Not many people can pronounce it, Stiles is just easier.

Derek pretended not to notice that M. Stilinski - _Stiles_ had interrupted too quickly. This guy was a literary genius, who was Derek to question him anyway? In comparison, Derek was the willing slave to Stiles' grand Roman emperor. (Laura's voice echoed through his head saying, "Stop speaking in weird Rome metaphors. They make no sense and they make everyone uncomfortable.")

" _Derek_ ," Boyd hissed, bringing Derek away from his thoughts. "Can we maybe go talk about that _thing_ some more?"

Derek nodded half-heartedly, tearing his eyes away from Stiles for the first time since he'd arrived. As Derek followed Boyd to a quieter corner, Stiles and Jackson stayed where they were, having a very heated conversation about something. Part of Derek wanted to go back and eavesdrop, but a bigger part knew that Boyd was slowly delving into madness and needed his best friend to drag him back out again.

\--

Derek didn't see Stiles for a long time after that. He talked Boyd down from calling Erica - because a. _freaking expensive, Boyd, you aren't that rich!_ and b. _she's on a business trip, working, leave her alone!_ ) But after what felt like hours of listening to Boyd's relationship worries, Derek needed something a lot stronger than champagne, so he made he way to the bar downstairs.

Everyone there were just as well dressed as everyone upstairs, all reeking of expensive perfumes and colognes, flirting to make an impression. Derek hated the hierarchy embedded in this world, where no one said what they really meant, and reputation meant everything. It was like high school all over again, only worse!

Derek ordered a glass of the strongest beer they had, then drank it at the bar. Boyd had to talk to someone about business, he'd finally calmed down enough Derek felt safe leaving him on his own. Derek didn't have anywhere else to be, or anyone else to talk to, his schedule was clear on account of him working at _A Peony Saved_. He just sat back and let the alcohol kick in.

"Is this seat taken?" A soft voice came from behind him, making him jump in surprise.

He spun around and found Stiles there, eyes just as bright, smile just as wide. Where when he had entered the shop he had been wearing jeans and a t-shirt, he now wore a charcoal three-piece suit. And damn, did he look good in a waistcoat. He seemed so suave and sophisticated, he blended in well with the rest of the party guests.

"Uh, no, not at all. Please, sit." Derek stuttered, tripping over his words.

Stiles grinned even more and sat down. He ordered a drink - some cocktail Derek had never heard of - and turned to face Derek. "So," He said, and everything about him was just so endearing, Derek was captivated. "Florist by day, party crasher by night?"

Derek let out a one-syllable laugh and said, "I work here. Law is my actual job, my sister owns the flower shop, but she's out of town so I'm helping her out."

"You mean to say I could have found a very attractive _female_ floral expert when I entered A Peony Saved this afternoon?" Stiles pondered. "Now that would have been disappointing." He added with a wink. Derek felt himself turn red, and Stiles let out a soft little laugh. "See this isn't fair, you know my name, but I don't know yours."

"Derek Hale." Derek answered, holding out a hand to shake.

"Nice to meet you Derek Hale." Stiles grinned. Then his expression turned to that of false curiousness, "Can I ask, what is your stance on intra-office relationships?"

Derek grinned, and let out a small laugh at the bitterness of it all. Here was M. Stilinski who was as charming in real life as he was in his writing, not to mention incredibly attractive, obvious flirting with Derek, just as he had become part of Derek's clientele. Perhaps not Derek specifically, but the firm in general, and that was enough to make him as much Derek's client as whoever was assigned him.

"Sorry, I don't mix business with pleasure." Derek answered, taking a sip of his beer.

Stiles pouted obscenely and said, "Shame."

Derek finished his beer and made to leave. Last minute he turned back to face Stiles and said, "If I'd known those flowers were for Jackson, I'd have halved the price." Before walking away once more, towards the exit. He swore he heard Stiles laughing behind him.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Finally some proper Sterek! Sort of...  
> As usual, please leave comments about what else you'd like to see in future chapters! And if you're feeling extra lovely, maybe leave kudos?  
> Thank you so much for reading.  
> Thank you to princessmandablackleg and mels90 for commenting on my last chapter!


	6. Pink Flowers and Self Pity

Laura had called Derek whilst he had been at the party, and left a voicemail to say she'd be back tomorrow. So, Derek entered _A Peony Saved_ for the last time the next day with a grin on his face. Finally he'd be able to go back to what he was good at; Law. He almost missed the coliseum, two great gladiators fighting against one another for the emperor. (Again with the metaphors!) He missed the feeling of actually helping someone, not just giving them a bouquet then never seeing them again.

Derek was sweeping away some petals, which had fallen to the floor, with a long handled sweeping brush when the door opened. The wind chime hanging above it tinkled, grasping his attention. A familiar grin fell on the customers face, and Derek froze in his movements, staring like an idiot.

"I owe my friend some flowers for getting me a brand spanking new lawyer and a publisher, and I heard that the staff here are not only very friendly, but also very nice to look at." The smooth voice said, grin widening.

"Stiles, hey." Derek said, dumbfounded.

He hadn't expected to see Stiles again until he started back at work, and even then it would only have been in passing. He figured that was for the best since Stiles was an obvious flirt, Derek already loved him just a little for his writing, and he was extremely attractive. Derek didn't think his resolve would hold if Stiles was constantly speaking in innuendo, and flashing that draw-dropping smile.

"So, the flowers?" Stiles said, a hint of teasing in his voice.

"Uh, what are you looking for?" Derek asked, getting a grip of himself and brushing the petals into a corner for now, before walking behind the counter and leaning the brush against the wall.

"Something pretty with lots of pink in. She loves pink. And spare no expense." Stiles grinned.

Derek nodded and set to work, selecting an array of varying pink flowers. A French tulip, a nerine lily, an anemone, a pink rose, a sweet pea, a stem of spray rose, a hyacinth, a silk pink ranunculus and a peony - the flower which the shop was infamous for. They came together to create a striking bunch.

"You're not as talkative today." Stiles stated, frowning a little.

"Sorry, I'm not a great conversationalist." Derek replied, walking behind the counter. "Do you want them wrapped, a card?"

"Wrapped in pink, no card, thanks." Stiles requested, his frown not letting up. "You were a pretty good conversationalist last night."

Derek shrugged as he cut through the flimsy cellophane with long bladed scissors, careful to keep the cut straight and smooth. Truth was, it had finally settled in that Stiles was really a member of the firm now, even if only through his writing. He would probably have a meeting there every few months to check everything was okay, but that was it. Derek realised that there was a very slim chance of them becoming friends (or, as Derek had secretly hoped, anything more than that). It was easier to stay away and not have it all blow up later down the line.

"That'll be twenty dollars," Derek said as he taped the cellophane closed around the powerful bouquet.

Stiles rolled his eyes as he dug around in his pocket before fishing out his wallet. He pulled out a crumpled twenty dollar bill, and handed it to Derek. Derek tried not to notice how Stiles' hair still looked messy, but like, sexy messy. Or that his caramel eyes were still as beautiful in the mid-afternoon sun. Or that Stiles could rock jeans just as well as he could rock a suit.

Derek put the money in the cash register and handed the flowers to Stiles with a polite, "Have a nice day."

Stiles snorted, "Are we really gonna do this?"

Derek frowned, "Do what?"

Stiles rolled his eyes again and said, "Act like we're just work colleagues."

"We _are_ just work colleagues." Another eye roll. "Look, you're attractive, I'll admit, and yeah I'd probably go out with you if we met in a bar or coffee shop or whatever. But you're a client at my firm, and Jackson is an ass looking for any excuse to make my life miserable. He has some personal vendetta against me, so nothing can happen between us, okay?"

"Fine." Stiles said, frowning again. "We're just work colleagues. See you around."

Derek groaned as the door closed behind Stiles, wondering what he did to piss off the universe so badly. Every time something good happened in his life, something bad would come along and he'd be in the shits again. He braced himself against the counter top and counted to ten. Self-pity wasn't going to get him anywhere.

But damn, did he just want to crawl into a ball and cry for a while.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Do not fear, avid Sterek shippers, this is not the end for these two nerds, merely the beginning.  
> Thank you to Meaghan898, SheriffDylinski and Kelmeckis for commenting on the last chapter. It means an awful lot to me when people take time out of their lives to tell me what they think of my writing, you couldn't possibly fathom how thankful I am when I see an inbox notification.  
> I'm back at school now which means that I'll not be writing as much and so I'll not be posting as much, but I'll try to keep on top of this as much as possible but please don't be too angry with me if it takes a while for me to update, I'm doing my best.  
> Thank you for reading!


	7. Anniversaries and Elevators

The anniversary was approaching, so Derek dealt with it the only way he knew; drowning himself in work. He started working on cases that weren't even his, doing overtime as much as he could, staying up all hours reading about the old cases in hopes that if the time ever came, he'd remember something which would result in a win.

He started working out more and for longer, pushing his body to the brink of exhaustion, seeing how far he could go before his muscles were crying out for him to stop, drink some water and take a break. And once he'd found that point, he'd keep on going past it, forcing himself to do just a few minutes more.

He was eating less, sleeping less, and basically running on caffeine alone. Boyd was oblivious, of course, seeing as though Erica had arrived home from Thailand and he was _still_ freaking out about the ring hidden at the back of his underwear drawer. Laura was just as unaware, but Derek thought she'd be slightly hypocritical if she said anything, because it was around this time which she'd start drinking and smoking again, only to quit once the month was over.

Neither of them knew what else to do. Derek knew it had been five years, but it still hurt like it was yesterday. There was always a dull ache in his chest, especially around this time of year, one which wouldn't ever go away. Derek could live to be one hundred and he'd still feel the unsettling grief at the loss of his parents.

They, along with his sisters, were the only close family Derek had. Sure, there had been a load of people at the funeral who all seemed to know his name, a few cousins and an aunt and uncle here and there, but no one Derek knew well. When Cora said she wanted to go off on her own, Derek was scared he'd lose her too. He did everything he could to convince her to move to New York with he and Laura, but it only served to push her further away. Derek thought of her often, especially at times such as these...

Luckily, he hadn't seen Stiles around anywhere, which he was thankful for. He didn't think he could handle whatever awkward conversation that they'd endure if they met in the hallway, it'd just be too much, Derek might have imploded! He wasn't good at handling feelings at the best of times, let alone when he was already all over the place!

So Derek thought it was just his luck that when he went into work just two days before the anniversary itself, Stiles would be in the reception area arguing with the woman behind the counter. Derek couldn't hear what was being said as he binned his coffee cup in the trash can on the opposite side of the foyer, but Stiles looked pissed, and the receptionist had that false smile - you know, the one hiding the fact they've already killed you eight times in their heads - plastered on her face that all receptionists seem to be masters of.

Derek walked over, hoping to settle the dispute, and noted that Stiles was in his typical jeans, t-shirt and hoodie. All Stiles' jeans looked identical, and Derek wasn't certain he didn't just wear the same pair everyday. But then again, surely M. Stilinski, famous author and avid flower-buyer could afford more than one pair?

"Is there a problem?" Derek asked calmly as he reached the desk.

The receptionist looked relieved to see him as she said, "Mr Hale! This gentleman claims to be a client here, and is demanding I give him Mr Whittemore's office and floor numbers."

"So, what's the problem?" Derek replied, confused.

"Well, he doesn't exactly _look_ like one of Mr Whittemore's clients, does he?" The receptionist asked, lowering her voice to a whisper, despite the fact that Stiles would still be able to hear her perfectly.

Stiles, frowning, spat, "My apologies, I left my Gucci suit on my third yacht next to my diamond encrusted champagne glass."

Derek hid his laugh behind a cough, but the receptionist looked far from impressed. "Look, this is M. Stilinski," Derek sighed, growing tired of the situation." Y'know, the author? He's a new Boyd and Whittemore client." She didn't look convinced so Derek added, "I'll take him up myself, if you'd rather."

A sour expression still on her face, the receptionist relented, and said that so long as Derek took Stiles right to Jackson's door, she'd let him go. Derek agreed, and lightly touched Stiles' shoulder, pushing him a little in the direction of the elevator before he said something else to upset her, and probably cause her to call security.

"One of the perks of working here," Derek muttered softly, so only Stiles could hear as they walked through the foyer, "everyone has a gigantic stick up there arse."

Stiles let out a laugh, that echoed as they stepped into an empty elevator. Derek pushed the button for the fortieth floor. He smiled a little too at the sound, it wasn't as soft as Derek had imagined - not that he had been thinking about Stiles' laugh at all, or Stiles in general - but Derek liked it all the same. It was almost an octave lower than when he'd heard him at the party.

"All alone in an elevator," Stiles whispered conspiratorially, "Who knows what could happen."

In the reflection on the metal door, Derek could see Stiles grinning. Derek, who absolutely was not brushing one bit, shook his head and said, "Stiles," in a warning tone.

"What?" Stiles asked, turning around, feigning innocence. "I'm just doing work colleague things with my work colleague." His grin was dangerous.

"I'm serious, stop flirting," Derek pressed, but his authorities tone was spoiled by the very slight smirk on his lips.

Stiles rolled his eyes like he was bored and had heard this all before. Hell, Derek was sure he'd said this all before. Twice. Derek wasn't good at dating, or dealing with his feelings. His last romantic relationship had been nearly a year and a half ago, a woman called Kate who turned out to be a total psychopath (read: _bunny boiler_ ). Derek pledged after their long and tedious break-up to focus solely on his job.

Jackson hated him for reasons he didn't know, and was always looking for reasons to keep him doing desk work for the rest of his life, or even going as far as firing him. Derek thought he got off on his power, like he had a hard on for walking round like he owned everything and everyone, and he liked his job enough to not want to risk loosing it. Not even for the big, caramel eyes which were staring directly at him.

"C'mon Derek, it's just a little banter." He teased, and Derek was about eighty per cent sure he had winked, too.

"Yeah, and I know what 'just a little banter' leads to." Derek frowned.

"Do you have such little will-power?" Stiles hummed, pressing himself further into Derek's personal space, their bodies nearly flush together.

By some miracle, the elevator dinged and the door opened. Derek gestured for Stiles to walk ahead of him. Rolling his eyes _again_ , Stiles complied, and Derek stayed one step behind him as he led him right to the end of the corridor, to Jackson's PA's office, one room away from the office itself. Most of the offices were decorated in some sort of chic contemporary modern design that involved a lot of white walls and potted plants, and this floor was no different. Derek's office was always far more cluttered, his desk usually piled high with case files he was either too busy or lazy to put back into his cabinet.

"Have a nice day, Stiles." Derek said tightly, before walking away with clenched fists.

The anniversary month was always one hell of a long month.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello!  
> Firstly, thank you very much for reading, I appreciate it greatly.  
> Secondly, I know I'm not updating as regularly, but like I forewarned, being back at school means I can't spend the sort of time writing I was before the summer. However, my goal is to update at least once per week. It'll likely be a Thursday, but that could change to Friday at any time. My first half term break isn't until October, so for one week then I'll be updating more regularly (I hope).  
> Thirdly, a huge thank you to Kelmeckis, Lovemylife, AvidReader and Meaghan898 for commenting on my last chapter. I've said it before and I'll say it again, reading comments from people (good or bad) gives me such an immense sense of gratitude that people deem my work worthy of either praise or improvement, it makes me feel like it's worth something, so thank you.  
> And don't worry, this is still a Sterek fic. When I said slow burn, I really meant sloooooooooooooow burn. But it is coming (eventually).  
> Sorry for any weird word usage, I'm English so writing using American words is foreign to me in more ways than one. Please be patient with me, I'll muddle through it somehow.  
> Thanks again for reading!  
> Have a wonderful whatever!


	8. Family Time and Elevator Rides

Finally the month passed, and everything went back to relatively normal. Laura quit smoking again, saying it was for good this time, and Derek went back to his usual work out routines. Boyd still hadn't proposed to Erica, and honestly it was getting tedious. Derek had half a mind to do it _for_ him!

Jackson was being as much of a dick as normal, often sending Derek repulsed snarls and barked orders. If Derek didn't like every other part of his job so much he might have quit a long time ago. As it happens, Derek was a very good lawyer, and he enjoyed being a lawyer. (And, he sort of wanted to spite Jackson, too.)

As usual, he and Laura planned their 'family night'. They did it every other month, arranged to meet up and spend some time together. Both of their lives were pretty hectic, and they had to take every opportunity they could to spend some time in each other's company, or else they'd become complete strangers in no time!

They decided on a restaurant in the city - one Laura had been to on a date a few months ago - because she claimed it had the best pasta she had ever eaten, and Derek did like pasta. They agreed to meet up at eight o'clock, outside the restaurant. Laura warned Derek not to be late or else, and Derek didn't even want to imagine the horrible things Laura had thought up as way of punishment. She could be ruthless when she wanted to be.

Derek was just leaving work that day when he swore his heart stopped beating. It was just for a second, before his brain had time to catch up with everything, but it definitely stopped. When the elevator doors opened, and Stiles was stood inside in his jeans and plain white t-shirt, he felt for a moment as though he couldn't breathe.

As soon as Stiles saw him, he grinned and said, "Hey, Derek."

Derek choked out a short, "Hi," as he stepped into the elevator. The button for the ground floor had already been pushed, but he pushed it again anyway.

"So, how have you been?" Stiles asked conversationally.

"Great." Derek lied, now an expert at answering this very question without showing any signs he wasn't telling the truth. "You?"

Stiles nodded and replied, "Yeah. Good. I've got the first couple of chapters drafted. The guy, Isaac, who I'm working with is kind of amazing at his job."

"Great." Derek said, unsure of what else to say.

"Yeah," Stiles continued, ignoring that Derek had even spoken, "he's a really great guy. That's why I'm going on a date with him tonight. I mean, I know you don't mind because we're 'just work colleagues'"-he punctuated it with air quotes-"and you don't think work colleagues should date."

Derek snorted, "And you're, what? Dating the guy you're working with to prove a point?"

Stiles' casual expression hardened, and he turned to Derek with a steely stare. There was something dark in his eyes that Derek wanted to wash away, because it was so not-Stiles. But then, maybe it was Stiles. Derek didn't actually know him that well, only through his books, and they could get pretty deep and dark sometimes anyway.

"I'm going on a date with a cute guy who's willing to see if we could go anywhere. Not that you'd know much about that." Stiles hissed, glaring.

Derek hadn't seen a glare like that since Kate, and he was suddenly very claustrophobic in the small elevator. He'd never known a ride that seemed to drag on so long, and he could feel his palms begin to dampen with sweat, his brow not far behind. Stiles was still glaring, clearly expecting some sort of reaction from him.

"Sorry." Derek mumbled, not sure what else to do.

Finally, after what felt like hours, the elevator stopped on the ground floor, and Derek all but sprinted out. He threw a quick, "Bye Stiles," over his shoulder to be polite, before exiting the building. The heavy, New York air outside did nothing to calm him or make him feel more comfortable in his bulky grey suit. He shuddered at the memory of Stiles' face inches from his own, expression purely murderous, and hurried towards the tube.

\--

Laura arrived at the restaurant first, looking lovely in a knee-length red pleated dress, a black jacket on her slim shoulders. She grinned as Derek approached and he greeted her with a brief kiss on her cheek before she drew him into a hug. They weren't overly affectionate siblings, but closely after the anniversary, Derek knew sometimes Laura would need to proof that he at least was still there.

She led them into the restaurant, where they were seated by a young-looking waiter who handed them each a menu. The menu was written in cursive which matched the fancy feel to the restaurant. The walls were papered with a deep red swirling pattern, the floor was a dark solid wood, and the lights were chandeliers.

Derek knew Laura had suggested this place because back in California, where they were from, there was nothing like this. Their idea of a fancy meal was the _Burger Supreme_ from _Glady's Diner_. After moving to New York and discovering all the fine cuisine it had to offer - the crappy hot dogs from the cart in the park a block away from Derek's office building notwithstanding - they found they actually rather enjoyed extravagant eating, and would indulge themselves on occasion.

After finding it was the only thing on the menu he understood, Derek ordered the spaghetti bolognaise with garlic bread side. Laura opted for some salmon dish with potatoes, the name of which sounded mostly French in Derek's opinion, and once the waiter had left the table, he teased her for her pretentiousness.

"Shut up." She replied, laughing into her glass of water. "So, how's work?"

"Good." Derek said, pouring himself a glass of water from the glass jug which sat in the middle of the table. "I won a case last week and got a man wrongly convicted of theft out of jail."

"Whittemore still an ass?" Laura asked, raising her eyebrows.

"Jackson? No, not at all. He has realised the error of his ways and is now an avid philanthropist dedicating his time to saving starving children in Africa!" Derek joked, and Laura laughed. "Yeah," Derek said, sobering, "He's still a complete and utter arsehole."

Laura rolled her eyes, "I don't know why you still work for that dick, there are plenty of other firms or you could even set up your own!"

Laura was obsessed with the idea of Derek starting his own firm the way she opened _A Peony Saved_. Their father had been a business entrepreneur, and their mother a genius accountant. They created many a business before selling them to new owners when they wanted to start a new project, or found someone they knew would run it better. Laura was always going on about how it was in their genes that they should be business minded, too. Derek sometimes wondered if the only reason she opened a flower shop was because she wanted to feel closer to their parents. Honestly, he couldn't blame her.

"I like Boyd, just not Whittemore." Derek protested.

"That place is holding you back, little brother." Laura accused, rolling her eyes as she drank some more water.

Derek was about to roll his own in retaliation and argue she was wrong, when Stiles sprung to mind. The Stiles he knew, the flirtatious, happy Stiles who had trouble with the word no, but genuinely a nice guy. A very hot nice guy with a very nice smile who Derek would have liked to take out for a meal, and if he didn't have Jackson to worry about, he wouldn't even spare a thought for his job before whisking Stiles off to a candle-lit restaurant.

"Laura, say I had a client-no, _Jackson and the firm_ had a client, and I wanted to date them. Would Jackson be able to fire me over it?" Derek asked, keeping his voice calm and conversational.

Laura's eyes widened, "Derek, is there someone?"

"Maybe there's a guy," He mumbled, refusing to meet her eye.

"Oh my goodness, who is it?" She asked, giddy with excitement.

"So, you know those books I like? The Infinity series? Well, the guy who wrote those signed to a publishing house we represent, and Jackson's taken him on as a client through them." Derek explained, straining to stay cool and not freak out just a little that he was actually voicing his feelings for the very first time.

"Aww! Well, I mean he could accuse you of misconduct, I suppose? But only if he was being mean but he wouldn't be that..." Laura trailed off and shook her head. "Of _course_ Jackson would be that cruel, it's Jackson."

Derek nodded solemnly. "He's going on a date tonight."

"Stiles?" Derek nodded. "I'm sorry, little brother. I'm pretty sure this warrants a sugar splurge. I'm gonna order the most sickly chocolate cake they have, and we're going to eat it all. Deal?"

Derek smiled, just a little bit, and replied, "Deal."

He was so thankful to have his sister, he didn't know what he'd do if she weren't there.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello, thanks for reading.  
> Sorry about Scary Stiles, but I like those headcannons that talk about Stiles being dark. Not evil, just ruthless. Like, in terms of protecting his friends, there's nothing he wouldn't do, and I think that would translate in part to the way he viewed himself.  
> Quick warning, the next few chapters are very Boyd/Erica central and it... it's not good times for them. Maybe Boyd's a little OOC, but meh.  
> I should be updating a couple of times this week, because I have three more chapters written and ready to post, so yay me!  
> Thanks to 1stBonesFan_is_SterekGirl and Kelmeckis for commenting on my last chapter. Comments make me happy.  
> Please, please comment ideas because I'm loosing inspiration a little bit!  
> I'm not sure if misconduct could get him fired, but who got time for fixing plot holes? (Hint: Not me because my schedule is fucking packed right now).  
> Also, yay good-sister Laura! Whoop!  
> I hope you enjoyed the chapter, until the next one, take care!


	9. Secrets and Lies

As it turns out, donning himself in a hideously coloured green apron, and selling sunflower seeds to suburban moms with handsy ten year olds is what Derek would do if Laura wasn't there. A week later, he got a call from his _beloved_ sister asking if he could shop-sit for her whilst she was out of town. She called on a Saturday when he was always in a good mood, too, the scheming wench!

"No, Laura." He had said decidedly, "Absolutely never again."

Come Monday, he got off the tube and stopped at the newspaper stand to buy a copy of the days paper, before opening up _A Peony Saved_ for a new day of business. (Fucking Laura!) It was uncharacteristically busy, one or two customers coming in at a time, and Derek didn't have chance to read the paper. So he did, once he gotten home after the tiring work day had finished.

He ate a microwave meal sat on his sofa, and listened to The Brobecks whilst reading about what was going on in the world - nothing good, as it happened. He was just getting out of the shower, an hour or so afterward when he heard a knock at the door. In just a towel, skin still damp and shiny, he made his way to his door. A quick peer through his peephole later, he let Erica into the apartment.

Her long blonde hair was tied in a thick braid which reached halfway down her back, and her eyes were dark with make-up. Her usually pale skin had a glow to it which must have been the closest she got to a tan, and her left hand was still ringless. Derek contemplated just killing Boyd, and putting everyone out of their misery. Poor guy was so in love he was scared to admit it, and petrified of rejection. Bless.

"Derek, looking good." Erica teased, looking Derek up and down, taking in his bare, toned chest and the flimsy white towel wrapped not tight enough around his waist.

He rolled his eyes, and walked into his bedroom, closing the door behind him. He pulled on a pair of boxer shorts then some jeans. He was just pulling on a grey Henley as he heard Erica call out, "Boyd's acting weird."

Derek, walking back into the living room, tossing his towel into the laundry basket just inside his bedroom door as he passed, replied, "Boyd _is_ weird. That's why you love him so much."

"Yeah," Erica agreed without missing a beat, "but, like, weird even for Boyd."

"So?" Derek asked.

He was a calm liar - he _was_ a lawyer, and a good one, and he didn't get there telling the truth and making friends - and he knew he'd have to come up with a good one to stop Erica from prying too much. The girl was like a blood hound when she wanted to be, and would sniff out any cracks in the story easily if he wasn't careful. It was why he didn't lie to her often. But desperate times, right?

" _So_ , has he said anything to you? About why he's being weird?" Erica said, her voice implying it should have been obvious, her eyebrows raised.

Derek shrugged nonchalantly and replied, "Nope." He then added conspiratorially, "Maybe he's _cheating_ on you?"

Erica rolled her eyes, and punched him hard in his arm. "I'm being serious, Derek! When guys act weird it means they're up to something. What's he up to?"

"I'm not his keeper, Erica." Derek argued, trying to buy himself time to come up with a believable lie. "I don't know what he does every second of every day. Ask _him_ what's up!"

Erica sighed heavily and said, "I _will_. But if I find out you had anything to do with it, then so help me God!"

Derek held up his hands in surrender as Erica huffed out a brief goodbye, and waited until Erica had closed his front door behind her to exhale a sigh of relief. He ran a hand through his still damp hair, then wiped his wet hand on his jeans, feeling the coarse denim under his palm. Boyd was starting to kind of piss him off!

\--

"You're girlfriends onto you, fix it." Derek said before even taking a step into Boyd's apartment.

Boyd shushed him loudly, and stepped out into the hall, closing the door behind himself. He glared at Derek, and ran a hand over his hair, exhaling sharply. He looked tired, with dark bags under his bleary eyes, and Derek wondered if maybe Jackson was over-working him. Or maybe he was over-working himself.

"She's in the shower." Boyd hissed, all to aware of how thing his walls were.

"I know, I heard the water running." Derek informed, rolling his eyes.

"And I don't want her to hear this conversation." Boyd continued, ignoring what Derek had said.

Derek frowned, "Why?"

"I really, really fucked up Derek." Boyd said, and he sounded desperate. He lowered his voice so much that Derek had to lean in to hear him as he said, "I cheated on her."

Derek's eyes widened, and he felt a dull rage bubble in his gut. "You did _what_?" He hissed

"I know, I know, it was stupid. But I..." He swallowed and shook his head, "It was an accident."

"What, some chick tripped and fell on your dick?" Derek argued.

Boyd was always the reliable one, in every situation. Erica was a flirt, sure, but she'd never take it anywhere. She loved Boyd. And Boyd was quiet and considerate and kept cool under pressure, he was completely loyal. He didn't do major fuck ups, that was Derek's job. Boyd was the last person Derek expected to ever cheat on anyone, let alone Erica, who he absolutely _adored_.

"I know, okay, I know. Whatever you're going to say, I've already thought it. I'm the scum of the earth, I don't deserve her, I should feel ashamed of myself." Boyd said miserably.

"Is this why you've not proposed?" Derek asked.

Boyd nodded and said quietly, "I know I have to tell her, I just don't know how."

It was at that moment that Boyd's door opened, and Erica stood behind it, a duffel bag at her feet...

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> One) Thank you to Kitkatsforkittensandcats on ig for introducing me to The Brobecks (and being amazing) and you should absolutely go listen to them.
> 
> Two) Please don't attack me for this, I didn't want to do it, but it will (hopefully) make more sense and become more important later on.
> 
> Three) Thanks to 1stBonesFan_is_SterekGirl for commenting on my last chapter!
> 
> Four) I have a sort of mini-series thing going on called In Teen Wolf We Thrust. It's basically going to be a load of one-shot things that are really just drabbles and head canons and are too small for me to post separately. I'll probably use it as a tester for different writing scenes, techniques and styles and stuff. Go give it a read if you're feeling lovely!
> 
> Five) I'm a little down on inspiration right now, and would love to know what you do and don't like so far so I know what to write next.
> 
> Six) The next few chapters are focused more on Erica and Boyd and less on Sterek although Sterek is mentioned fairly prominently. Sorry, I just want to set up the ending for this now because I have a feeling the number of chapters is going to reach the twenties and I'm trying to keep it as short as possible. 
> 
> Seven) I'm obsessed with the Suicide Squad soundtrack which has nothing to do with this, I just thought I'd say for any weird references I make later. Sorry in advance for if that happens. I haven't seen the film though, so no spoilers or anything.
> 
> Thanks a lot, have a nice day!


	10. Revelations and Complications

"Erica?" Boyd asked, nervously.

Erica frowned. "What?"

"Erica," Derek repeated, willing his voice to stay level. "What did you hear?"

Erica frowned even more, which Derek hadn't realised was even possible. The wait before her answer was nearly unbearable, it felt as though the walls were closing in. Derek's frantic heartbeat pounded in his chest and echoed in his ears. He was almost certain that Erica and Boyd could both hear it too.

"I didn't hear anything. You were both whispering too quietly for me to hear. Why, are you keeping secrets from me?" Erica teased, eyes widening hungrily at the prospect.

Boyd's eyes widened, too, as he turned to look at Derek. The message was obvious, Boyd needed to distract her but he had absolutely no idea how to do it. He was relying on Derek's superior lying skills to stop him from having to tell Erica the truth. Derek didn't want to do it, he didn't want to help Boyd lie to his girlfriend, he couldn't help but think about what he'd do if some guy ever did anything like it to Laura. But Boyd was still his best friend, and Erica was so happy and care-free after Thailand, Derek couldn't bring himself to ruin it.

"I like a new client." Derek confessed, feigning embarrassment, hoping it would be enough to keep Erica's interest for a few weeks. "He's pretty high-profile and he's Jackson's client so nothing can happen between us because Jackson would use it to get rid of me, and I want as few people as possible to know about it. I figured since technically he was my boss, Boyd should get to hear about it."

Erica grinned dangerously, "Oh my God! You're totally star-crossed lovers! It's like Romeo and Juliet. Or the Hunger Games! Aww, that's so sweet, Derek."

"Is it really like the Hunger Games?" Derek argued, "I mean, neither of our lives are in peril or anything."

Erica rolled her eyes, "As if that matters. Look, I'd love to keep on talking about your bleeding heart, but I actually have to pack. My boss just called and said Thailand went well so she wants me to fly out to LA to the mothership to finish signing contracts and stuff. Boyd, take good care of our 'ickle Derbear here, he'll need it."

She gave Boyd a kiss on the mouth, and Derek a brief kiss on the cheek, before picking up her bag and walking down the hall to the stairwell. Both Derek and Boyd watched her until she was out of sight, before walking back into the apartment. Derek was furious, he felt the sudden urge to punch something really hard. He resisted, barely.

"So, you're the sort of cheating scum bag which makes me hope my sister will stay single forever," Derek said conversationally. "That's just great to know."

Boyd sighed loudly, and cringed as though the conversation was physically painful. Derek wanted to keep going, keep using his words as weapons to slash at Boyd's unprotected chest until he was a weeping mess. He wanted Boyd to hurt so bad that he could feel it in each one of his cells, and Derek could look on with a sadistic glee. He wanted to pull at threads until Boyd unravelled before him, just a shell of the man he was, regret the only thing left he understood.

But he also wanted to help Boyd figure out a way to fix things. Sure, Boyd had made a mistake, but it was just a mistake. Erica deserved to know the truth, but they were too good together to let it all go over this. Boyd was happier around Erica, and Erica was like a better person around Boyd. They worked. Derek didn't want Boyd's idiocy to ruin that.

"You are going to need a shit-tonne of flowers and chocolate. Then, you're going to explain it to her and if she slaps you, you aren't even going to say ouch because it'll be nothing less than you deserve. Then you're going to tell her you love her more than anything in the world. Then, you're going to give her time." Derek explained, glaring at Boyd. "She's definitely going to need time." He added pointedly.

Boyd nodded, then let out a humourless laugh. "Last week I wanted to marry her, this week I just want us to stay together long enough to Christmas together. What a joke."

If it was a joke, Derek didn't find it funny, and he had a feeling neither did Boyd. Derek just shook his head. Erica and Boyd were supposedly the steadfast relationship, they were endgame, if they couldn't make it then no one could. And yet, here they were, coming apart at the seams. Boyd was cheating, Erica was away more than she was home, and it definitely strained things between them. For a couple who were 'perfect', they sure had a lot of imperfections. Derek wondered if maybe that was the punchline.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Everyone has pretty much been asking the same thing, why did Boyd cheat. To that I ask, why does anyone cheat. I don't want to spoil anything, but it was just a mistake. A drunken, stupid mistake. It has no relevance thus far, but further on it will. Please, please, don't hate me!  
> The next chapter is very Derek central, focusing on feelings etc, and is less about Erica and Boyd.  
> Please comment what you want to see in the story because my inspiration is at around 0 right now.  
> Thanks to SheriffDylisnki, 1stBonesFan_is_SterekGirl and mels90 for commenting on my last chapter. Comments make me smile!  
> Thanks for reading!


	11. News Papers and Noisy Neighbours

Derek was becoming worried. Laura wasn't answering any of his calls, nor replying to the sea of 'when are you coming home' texts he was sending her daily. He grew scared something horrendous had happened to her, and that he'd not find out for years when some FBI guy came knocking at his door to say they'd finally found the body at the bottom of a creek somewhere, where it had been inevitably discovered by morning joggers. Perhaps that was a little far fetched, but Derek was fearful nonetheless.

The only comfort working at the flower shop brought was that there was no chance he'd bump into Stiles. With everything that was happening with Boyd and Erica, and then Laura being MIA, he'd almost forgotten about his Stiles problem. Until in the newspaper there was a picture of Stiles and some guy in a fancy restaurant, smiling coyly at each other. The caption read, _Lady and the Tramp: Famous Author and Nobody on Date_.

Derek couldn't bring himself to read the article, just kept staring at the guy Stiles was with. Even in the low quality photograph, Derek could tell he was handsome. He had a strong jaw and prominent cheek bones. The colour of his eyes was illegible in the picture, but they were bright and gleaming. Thick curls sat atop his head, and the grin on his face showed off the perfect teeth which Derek assumed were toothpaste-commercial white.

Derek didn't feel jealous - at least he told himself he didn't - he was just... upset? He was angry at the unfairness of it all. He'd _known_ Stiles first, even if only through _Infinity_. He'd _met_ Stiles first as another nameless customer. He'd _liked_ Stiles first with his sense of humour and bright smile. Yet it was some guy - called Ian or Ivan or whatever Stiles had said his name was - who got to take Stiles out and show him off.

When Boyd and Whittemore senior retired, Jackson and Boyd (junior) got the firm. Boyd's father did his best to help Boyd financially, but it got to the point where it just wasn't working anymore. So, Jackson and his father bought them out. They kept the name, and even kept Boyd in a position of power out of respect for Boyd senior, but it meant Jackson was very much the boss. He was very much in control.

And so when Derek found the first person since Kate who he'd find even in the most crowded of rooms, fate should have it that they could never be. Jackson was in charge and what he said went, so Derek had no choice. He couldn't risk his job - his _career_ \- for the sake of a relationship that might not even work out!

At least, that's what he told himself every time he felt his eyes drifting in the direction of the newspaper. The shop was far less busy, and he almost wished business would pick up so he could distract himself. He swept about five times, wiped the counter twice and even polished the brass 'open' sign. But, after each mundane task, he found himself staring at the article.

When he went home that night, he made sure to toss the paper into the trash as he passed. The journey home was tedious, and he felt jerky as he swayed along with the movements of the train. Then, he speed-walked to his apartment in an attempt to get rid of some of the energy he felt coursing through him. It worked only a little.

It was his typical microwave meal, this time listening to the songs he would usually reserve for his work outs, but thought perhaps it wouldn't matter he was only sat eating and not pumping iron. Maybe he'd subconsciously release some energy by just listening to the music. Perhaps the association would be enough. Perhaps.

By some miracle, it was (or maybe it was the comfort of having the newspaper safely deposited in a bin somewhere in the tube station), and as he cleaned his plate after eating his dinner, he felt more relaxed. He showered quickly, then changed into a pair of clean jogging bottoms. The material was soft on his legs as he climbed into his cosy bed, shifting around to get comfortable enough to drift off to sleep.

That was when Mr Libido decided to let out a long groan. A distinctly feminine mewl joined it, and after only a few seconds, Derek could hear nothing but the tell-tale signs of passionate sex. He tried banging loudly on the wall, but if anything it encouraged them to be noisier. Feeling a mixture of anger, slight disgust and the merest burst of jealousy, Derek left his warm bed.

He stomped from his bedroom, into his living room, over to his book case. He had re-read _Infinity_ once already in the past few months, but had decided to start reading it again as a way to cope with Erica and Boyd. He picked up _Breathing_ , and opened it to where he had last read to.

_My mother once asked me if I had The Sight and I had said no because I had absolutely no idea what she was on about. Upon reflection, that should have been when the warning bells started going off. Staring deep into Carmyn's eyes, I realise a whole fucking platoon of guys wearing_ 'YOU'RE A FUCKING SEER' _t-shirts should have landed behind my eyelids. I had wondered why the Phildrex had recruited me, it all made so much sense now..._

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> First of all, thanks to mels90 and 1stBonesFan_is_SterekGirl for commenting on my last chapter. I think I've said enough how much I adore reading your comments!  
> This is a pretty weak chapter, I know, there's not a lot that happens. Mostly is foreshadowing, place-filling, pace-setting etc. Also, I like writing Infinity snippets, I feel like I should include more (just not in the next few chapters I have already written, because they wouldn't fit right.  
> Someone interesting arrives in the next chapter, any guesses who?   
> Please leave kudos if you like it and comment what you don't (or do!).   
> Also, Laura isn't actually dead, just fyi, before anyone freaks out thinking I killed her off. No, she's just missing. Have no fear.  
> Thanks for reading, have a wonderful day!


	12. Old Women and Nocturnal Guests

Boyd was acting weird. Derek could understand why, if he was keeping that sort of secret, he would have probably gone insane. Not that he had forgiven Boyd yet, by any means. He was furious with him! But also with himself for helping lie to Erica about what he'd done. He could feel guilt raising up inside his throat every time Boyd's number appeared on his phone, and used working at _A Peony Saved_ as an excuse not to answer any of them.

Laura still wasn't back, and Derek was really beginning to worry about where she was. It wasn't like Laura to disappear completely, no matter how secretive she was. He wondered what could have happened to her or what she could be doing that she couldn't even text him to say she was okay.

The shop wasn't especially busy, nor were there a minute number of customers. It was pretty average, and Derek was both thankful it gave him time to keep up with cases at _Boyd and Whittemore_ , but upset that it gave him time to think. About Boyd and about Erica, _and_ about Stiles.

Derek sighed loud enough for the old woman browsing the seeds shelves to look over at him with a sympathetic smile on her face. "What's a handsome young man like you sighin' about?" She asked in a thick New York drawl.

Derek smiled back at her politely and said, "Nothing at all, ma'am."

The old woman scoffed, "Call me Gene."

"Gene," Derek corrected, with a small exhale of a laugh.

"Back in my day, young gentleman would only sigh like that if there was a pretty young lady involved," Gene explained with raised eyebrows.

She waddled over to the counter, her plump frame clad in a flowered dress which brushed beneath her knees. Her white hair sat in curls atop her wrinkled face. She wore bright blue eye-shadow and a deep pink shade of lipstick on her face. Her eyes were still young, and still held some beauty in them.

"Or perhaps a young gentleman?" She added, placing her purse and walking stick on the counter top.

"Something like that," Derek mumbled, blushing.

Gene smiled at him, "Love is a simple thing, take it from an old woman like me. If you love someone, you have to take a risk sometimes. Whether that's asking them out in a bar, kissing them for the first time or even coming clean about something you did. You have to be honest for things to work out." She squeezed one of Derek's hands affectionately. "You have a nice day, dear." With that, she picked up her purse and stick and began walking out of the shop.

"Hey, wait!" Derek called, hurrying after her. She turned to him with a smile. "Here," He said, handing her a red rose, "Thank you, Gene."

"You're very welcome." Gene replied with a kind smile.

Derek opened the door for her, and held it open as she walked into the loud New York street outside. Then, he let it slam closed once she had gone. He made sure to put the money for the rose into the cash register whilst he remembered, before re-opening the case file he'd been reading just before Gene had walked into the shop. The next time Boyd rang, he decided, he would tell him to come clean. Better to be honest, right?

\--

He got home that night and left _yet another_ message on Laura's voicemail, before finishing _Breathing_. He decided that he deserved to treat himself to a take-out, and ordered a Hot and Spicy from _Deaton's Pizzeria_ , before settling down to watch the basketball game which was showing on the sports channel.

At around ten, he decided to go to bed, hoping that Mr Libido had had his share for the night. He was just changing into his sleeping bottoms when there was a knock at the door. With a growl, he walked back into his living room, ensuring to slam his beddoor shut as loudly as he could out of pure petulance as he went.

When he opened the door, he did so with such force that the person behind it stumbled backwards a couple of steps into the wall behind. Derek was about to start demanding why someone had called this late when he noticed who it was - Laura. She frowned at him, and he frowned back. Then, he noticed who she was with, and for a second his heart stopped...

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Any ideas who the mystery person may be?  
> I'm posting this tonight purely because I want to avoid History revision. I swear to God my brain might explode if I try to cram anymore Hitler! Honestly!  
> Thank you to 1stBonesFan_is_SterekGirl for commenting on my last chapter, I appreciate it greatly!  
> Basically Gene is my bae, and if anyone hates on Gene, they DIE. 'Kay?  
> And Laura's back!  
> Please leave comments and kudos!   
> Thanks for reading!


	13. Reunions and Arrangements

"Cora?" He breathed.

"Hey, big brother." She replied, forcing an awkward smile.

"What..." He trailed off.

"Are you going to invite us in, or let us stand out here like idiots?" Laura demanded, pushing past Derek into the apartment without waiting for an answer.

Cora followed, sheepishly, blushing a little. He followed them inside, and closed the front door behind himself. Laura had already seated herself on his couch, pushing the empty pizza box onto the next seat, disgust written on her face. Cora loitered awkwardly at the edge of the room, looking around at the TV, bookshelf, sofa and coffee table which adorned it.

"It's a, uh, nice place you, uh, got here." She mumbled, trying to break the silence which had fallen.

"What are you doing here? I thought you were in Maine?" Derek asked, disbelief still clouding his mind. Was this really Cora? Was she really here? In New York - in his apartment?

Cora looked at Laura who shrugged and said, "You might as well tell him."

"I was in Maine until I left college last year. Then I moved to Florida with my girlfriend, and we've been together for the last year." Cora paused to take a deep breath. "Only she was involved in some pretty illegal stuff, like drugs and stuff. She owed some debts she couldn't pay and she tried to steal some money from me to pay them, so I told her I'd help however I could, only it just got worse and worse because she wouldn't stop." She paused again, and Derek noticed there were tears in her eyes. "I told her she had to choose between me or the drugs, and she chose the drugs. I didn't know what else to do so I called Laura, and she came to get me."

Derek nodded, trying to follow the story. He was torn between sympathy for Cora having to go through that alone and anger both at her getting involved, and the stupid girl that chose drugs over his sister. He looked at Laura who just nodded at him, her eyebrows raised, clearly saying, _I know_.

Derek wasn't sure what to say, what could he say? He wanted to comfort her, but hadn't seen her in so long, he wasn't sure how, or even if he could. Cora was still crying, and Laura looked just as panicked as Derek did. Neither of them had ever been the most comforting people, even before their parents' deaths, and they doubted Cora would appreciate it anyway. They both knew it had been just too long.

"Look, she needs somewhere to stay," Laura continued, "And I don't have the space at mine, not with me being with Sam, he comes to stay over a lot, if you know what I mean." Derek did, although he wished he didn't. "So, I figured she could stay here."

"I'd sleep on the sofa, obviously." Cora added quickly, throwing a disbelieving look at Laura having clearly forgotten her abruptness.

Derek stared at her for a moment, taking in her wavy brown hair that fell to just below her shoulders, streaks of blonde evident when the light caught it at the right angle. Her dark brown eyes which he remembered could go from soft and caring to sharp as daggers in a matter of seconds (an admittedly common Hale trait). Pale skin, red lips, short stature, the shortest of all three siblings.

She was almost just as Derek remembered, if not a little more tired looking, with darker circles around her eyes. Seeing her again, in person, he felt happiness right to his very core. He had missed her more than anything without even realising it, and without even meaning to. And now she was back, in his life, with her family. It was a little more than Derek could take.

"You wanna stay here?" Derek asked, softly.

"I don't have anywhere else to go." Cora shrugged, she had finally stopped crying now, although her cheeks were still damp.

Derek nodded. "Okay, but I have work and stuff so..."

"Oh, yeah, no, I'll be looking for my own place and a job and stuff. But, I don't know my way around the city..." Cora replied quickly, appearing almost shy.

"Yeah, I know. I'll show you around. You can come to work with me, you studied Law at college, right?" Derek asked. Cora nodded. "It'll be work experience for you."

That settled it. Derek and Cora agreed that Cora would go to work with Derek and help him out - although Derek had a suspicion Jackson would have something to say about that - and look for a job and place of her own. They'd spend some time together, the two of them, and the three of them whenever Laura could swing it, and make up for lost time.

Derek was secretly elated. His whole world had been crumbling down around him, and now suddenly things were looking up. Of course, he would have loved for Cora to have come to New York under better circumstances, and was less than impressed that she had been funding a drug habit, but she was there and that mattered more. All thoughts of Boyd, Erica and Stiles were pushed from his mind as he set up a bed on the couch for Cora to sleep on, and he couldn't help but anticipate the weeks to come.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> 1) Well done to 1stBonesFan_is_SterekGirl, ellie and Kelmeckis (sort of) for guessing right! Have a cookie! (Only, like, a virtual one because I can't give you actual cookies, sorry.)  
> 2) The next chapters are very Cora central seeing as though her and Derek will be spending most of their time together, and because I love Hale family dynamics.  
> 3) I haven't really written anything this weekend, which is fine for now but could become problematic in the long run. I've been doing a shit load of history revision and have had literally zero inspiration. I know sort of where I want to take this story, I'm just struggling to get there! Any suggestions are welcome!  
> 4) I am so aware that this is not the greatest chapter ever, but I just wanted to bring Cora back, because Derek needs family more than anything.   
> 5) Thank you to 1stBonesFan_is_SterekGirl, keltieful, mels90, ellie and Kelmeckis for commenting on my last chapter.  
> 6) Please leave kudos and a review if you did (or didn't) like this!  
> 7) Thanks so much for reading, until the next one!


	14. First Encounters and Sibling Love

Derek was right, Jackson was far from impressed that Cora was there. He happened to be waiting in the foyer with a group of employees dressed in nearly identical black suits - whom Derek liked to refer to as the Minions - when Derek walked into work that day, his sister hot on his heels, almost running to keep up as she was not yet used to the high speed life New Yorkers led. When Jackson saw them both, he frowned.

"You didn't mention a new client," Jackson spat.

"Oh, she's not. This is my sister, Cora." He gestured to Cora, "And this is my boss, Jackson," and then to Jackson.

Jackson's frown deepened, "I thought your sister was called Laura?"

"My other sister."

Jackson narrowed his eyes, "What's she doing here?"

"What are any of us doing here?" A familiar voice asked from behind them.

Almost in unison, Derek and Cora turned around. Derek's eyes fell on Stiles, and his heartbeat sped up. Stiles, in his jeans and t-shirt, was grinning and his hair was a mess and Derek had been so caught up with Cora, he'd forgotten Stiles and here he was. He was so unprepared to see him, he could only stare in awe.

"The sort of existential question you can explore in your next book, Mr Stilinski." Jackson said, and Derek could hear the annoyance in his voice. Stiles just rolled his eyes. "Now that the client is here, I believe we can take this meeting upstairs."

Derek watched them crowd into the elevator, Stiles the last person to cram himself inside. He didn't say anything to Derek, and avoided his eye. Derek was partly glad Stiles didn't try to start a conversation, he wasn't in the mood to try and muddle his way through the feelings which would mix together like some sort of deadly cocktail.

"Stilinski?" Cora said once they'd gone, turning to look at Derek. "As in Infinity Stilinski?" Derek nodded. "You didn't mention he was your client!"

"Jackson's client," Derek corrected.

Cora rolled her eyes, "Details," then narrowed them. "There was some major sexual tension hanging in the air just then, did you and he ever, you know, become acquainted with each other's adult sections?"

"Was that an attempt at a book pun?" Derek asked, amused not by the joke itself, but the way she wiggled her eyebrows as she delivered it.

"Don't try to change the subject. If I remember rightly, he's exactly your type, you own all his books and you get to see the guy pretty often. Were there any after hours sessions?" Cora teased.

Derek sighed, and walked over to the elevator which had just arrived on the ground floor. Once the people who had been riding it stepped out, he took their place inside and pressed the button to his floor. Cora hurried in behind him, only just making it inside in time before the doors slid closed in her.

"You haven't answered my question," Cora said, looking at the closed doors as the elevator began to move.

Derek stared at the doors too, and replied, "No, I haven't slept with him, or done anything with him for that matter."

In the metal of the doors, Derek saw Cora frown, "Was this because you didn't want to, or because he didn't?"

"None of the above," Derek said firmly as the elevator stopped.

The doors slid open revealing the spacious hallway behind. With a sigh, Derek stepped out into the hallway, leading Cora down right to the bottom where his office was. They passed a number of abstract paintings and bizarre sculptures as they went, and Derek couldn't help but smile at the confused faces Cora pulled. He had long since grown used to Jackson's taste in art.

His office, although a mess, was clean of any such strange modern art pieces, instead cluttered with case files. Cora had to move some off of his small couch in order to sit down. He hadn't had chance to properly clean up after his work binge during the anniversary. He couldn't help but wonder how Cora had coped with it.

"So if it was none of the above, what's the problem? If two people are into each other, surely there's no reason they shouldn't be together." Cora said wisely.

Derek couldn't help but smile. Those were the exact words he'd said to her when she was discovering her sexuality. She was scared and confused, and some bitchy cheerleader had said something about lesbians ruining flannel or something else equally as stupid. Cora came home crying, and Derek had gone to ask her what was wrong. When she explained she might like girls, Derek had told her she could like whoever she wanted, he was going to give them the same 'You Hurt My Sister I Hurt You' speech, no matter the gender.

"Because, Jackson is a total asshole. He hates me and wants me gone. If I start dating one if his clients, he'll find a way to get rid of me for good." Derek explained. "Stiles seems great, but not worth losing my job over."

Cora frowned, "Really? That's the only problem? You know you could just, I don't know, date Stiles and _not tell_ Jackson? Maybe?"

"What." Derek said, although it wasn't a question.

Cora rolled her eyes. "Oh my God, my brother is an idiot. How would Jackson know you and Stiles were together if you didn't tell him? Can't hurt you if he doesn't know he has a reason to, can he?"

Derek stared at her as the words sank in. Now she said it, it seemed so obvious, so easy. He could've dated Stiles in secret, Jackson never would have had to know. And yet he hadn't considered that, and neither had Stiles, and now Stiles was with Ivan or whatever his name was, and Derek had to watch Stiles fall in love through the newspapers and at work and through his books. All because he couldn't think on his feet. And he called himself a fucking lawyer.

"I'm guessing from your reaction it's too late?" Cora said softly, offering a sympathetic smile.

Derek nodded, "Too late."

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> 1) I did warn you all the next few chapters would be Cora central, didn't I warn you?  
> 2) I HAVE NO INSPIRATION! SOS! HELP! SUGGESTIONS ARE WELCOME!  
> 3) I don't like the next few chapters as much as I've liked the past ones, so please, please, please, tell me what you think!  
> 4) Thank you to questions and 1stBonesFan_is_SterekGirl for commenting on my last chapter. It means a lot to hear the praise and constructive criticism, because it still astounds me that anyone even cared!  
> 5) Please leave comments and kudos because they make me smile, and they make me know where I need to work on things.  
> 6) I was told that the pace is really slow, any suggestions? Do you agree/disagree? Do you have any improvements? Please, I just want to make this as good as possible for anyone who's bothering to read this!  
> 7) Thanks for reading! Until the next one!


	15. Dinners and Hopes

"Not too late, not too late, not too late!" Cora cried a week later, hurrying into Derek's office with a bag of Chinese food. "Hey Boyd." She added when she saw Derek wasn't alone.

Boyd and Derek had been discussing something work related. Well, if you could call stiff comments and a lack of eye contact a discussion. Derek's priority had been Cora since she had arrived in New York, so it was the first time he and Boyd had spoken since he'd found out what Boyd had done. It was awkward in a way it had never been between them before, and Derek felt slightly nauseous.

"What's not too late?" Derek asked.

"So I stopped at the flower shop on my way to get food and guess who was in there!" Cora exclaimed excitedly. Before Derek or Boyd could speak, Cora carried on. " _Stiles_ was in there. Well, I introduced myself and stuff because _M. Fucking Stilinski_ and noticed he was buying flowers." She grinned at Derek excitedly as she added, " _Red Roses_. So anyway, we got talking and I mentioned you and he went bright red, I'm talking the colour of a tomato here. Long story short, it's not too late."

Derek smiled softly at her as he said, "He has a boyfriend, Cora."

Cora's wide grin dropped into a frown as she replied, "What?"

"Isaac Lahey, he works at Daehlers." Boyd helpfully supplied.

"Where?" Cora asked.

"The publishing house Stiles is at." Boyd explained. "It's been all over the news that Stiles is dating some no-name. I think yesterday was the first day in about two weeks which their faces weren't on the front page."

Derek knew it was, because the day before had been the first day in exactly two weeks which he had bought a newspaper on his way to work. He couldn't bare to see Stiles with this Isaac guy, and since he was back at the firm, he couldn't afford something to distract him the way he had wished for when he was working at _A Peony Saved_.

Cora looked quite deflated, as though she had just been told some horrible news. She'd all but interrogated Derek about everything she had missed, beginning with getting his job at _Boyd and Whittemore_ , to developing a rather inconvenient crush on M. Stilinski. They'd done so over the bottle of wine which had been sitting on his counter for months, with Sweet Home Alabama - which was still Cora's favourite film - playing in the background.

It was nice having Cora around. It had been weird and slightly uncomfortable the first few days, and getting used to having someone else in his apartment was strange. But it was less lonely, and Derek's diet no longer consisted of ready meals and take-outs. Cora, when Derek attended the gym for his daily workouts, would go home to the apartment and cook for them. Derek noticed she'd cook the meals their mother had taught her how to, but didn't bring it up.

Cora had changed a lot, but he still recognised her as his annoying little sister. She hadn't healed properly either, Derek could tell, and would often stare into space during gaps in the conversation. Derek had a feeling she still blamed herself for their parent's deaths, but didn't want to talk about that, either. He felt as though one wrong word could send Cora right back to Maine or Florida, and wasn't willing to risk it, not now.

"Sorry Cora," Derek said, "but me and Stiles are never going to happen."

\--

That night was the weekly Hale family night, and it felt both nice and strange to have both of his sisters with him. Derek was silent for a lot of the night, listening to Cora and Laura catch up. Derek had assumed they already had whilst they'd been in Maine, but apparently that was a lot of packing and planning and travelling, rather than getting to know each other again. They talked about everything from relationships to how they were styling their hair now. Derek noticed that, whether consciously or not, they both avoided the subject of their parents.

The night was pretty much perfect, until they were just finishing dessert. Cora was staring into space, as she often did, and Derek was pretending to listen to Laura complain about some kid who ruined her window display, when suddenly Cora's eyes widened, and she gasped.

Derek, frowning, turned around to follow her line of sight. He half expected her ex to be there with the way she had reacted, but instead found a couple. But of course, the universe's favourite game was Royally Fuck-Over Derek Hale, and it couldn't be just any couple. Oh no, that would be too easy. Of course it would be Stiles and Isaac.

Derek watched them, the way they smiled at each other, laughed and held hands. Derek noticed with some selfish glee that Stiles' smile seemed force, and Isaac didn't look all that comfortable either. He felt terrible and guilty for feeling happy that their relationship wasn't as perfect as the papers liked to make out, and sad that Stiles clearly wasn't content.

When Derek looked back at Cora, he found her grinning. "Maybe, and this is a definite maybe, but maybe it isn't too late after all?"

Letting her words sink in, Derek spooned the last of his cheesecake into his mouth and allowed himself, just for a moment, to hope.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> 1) I don't think this is the worse chapter ever, but certainly not the best either, for which I apologise.  
> 2) This is set a couple of weeks after Cora's arrival, so she and Derek know each other quite well because of the time they spend together, however Laura is a busy person and hasn't had a real chance to catch up with Cora the way Derek had. Sorry if that's confusing.  
> 3) Hopefully I'll write more this weekend. I've got some shit news about my studies because my government are putting in place reforms and everything is changing so I'm kinda pissed off, and I'll do my hardest not to let that convey too much into my writing.  
> 4) Thank you to mels90, lordkirashand, 1stBonesFan_is_SterekGirl and mttmercado for commenting on my last chapter. Comments make me so happy, you have no idea!  
> 5) Thanks for reading, until the next one!


	16. Bad Authors and Hectic Lives

**THIS IS NOT AN UPDATE. THIS IS AN AUTHOR'S NOTE** **.**

So, I said in the beginning tags of the first chapter that it may take a while for me to post chapters. When I first began writing this fic, it was my school summer holidays so I had a hell of a lot of time out of school to write, so I got a lot written and then a lot posted. However now I'm back at school so not only do I have less time to write anyway, I also have a shit ton of homework to do, I have five paragraphs of French to learn, a load of coursework to write about a piece of drama I'm creating from scratch. Also, I'm participating in something we have in my country called the Duke of Edinburgh award which involves spending time volunteering which I do after school on a Tuesday and finding a new skill to learn and fitness to take part in. The time periods of this are two of them for six months, and one for at least three. Therefore I have other priorities at the moment.

Also, I write fanfiction for fun. I write it because I love writing and it's a hell of a lot easier to do when the characters are already there for you. And because I love the fandom life, the sense of community and the friends I've made through it. But at the moment, for me, writing is losing that sense of fun and so I'm taking a short break. I'll still be writing, but only when the urge grabs. So there'll be no forcing myself to sit down at my laptop and spew out words like I don't even have to think about it.

I've dedicated a lot of time to this fic (even if it might not seem like it) and I want it to be good. There are people that regularly comment on chapters whom I do not want to let down because I know the pain of investing in something only to be disappointed in the end. I have one chapter written that I haven't yet posted and I haven't done so because I hate the chapter so much I struggle to even read through it to check it, and I refuse to post it because I'll hate it so much. So I'm just waiting until I write something worth posting so as to not ruin something which I do deeply care about. 

My birthday was this weekend just gone which didn't help the matter of having time to write, and as I mentioned being back at school, and I've started watching Supernatural which will take up a lot of my free time (because ELEVEN FUCKING SEASONS!!!!) and I do enjoy having free time to have to myself without feeling like I need to work. I want to enjoy my teenage years, fucking sue me. I'm down on inspiration which is totally turning me off to the story and writing in general and I don't want that to happen.

In conclusion, I'm sorry for not posting an update in a while, and for probably not posting an update in a while. I hope you don't hate me for it, but I too have a life and weaknesses and priorities so I cannot put this above those as the effects may well be detrimental. I just wanted to explain to you what is happening for anyone who was confused.

Thank you if you've read all this, I appreciate your patience.

As usual, a thanks to all the people who commented on my last chapter: 1stBonesFan_is_SterekGirl and coreofcuddles. Comments are the fuel to my writing and make me excessively happy.

The next chapter will be an update, I promise, I just can't say when that will be. Again, sorry about everything. I hope you all have the wonderful days you deserve and that none of you hate me now because that has never been the intention. Hopefully I'll update soon and if not you can all send me abuse at my Instagram (Favefangirl) or my tumblr (all-the-best-urls-were-used or awesomeprincessmaddy01). Thank you, thank you, thank you again and thank you all for the patience!


	17. Goodbyes and Smiles

Having Cora around was great, and he was happier than ever in his little apartment with them both there. But he wasn't stupid, sleeping on the couch all the time was hell for Cora's back, and it made privacy a little sparse. But, they were managing all right - Derek thought so at least. So it was only a slight shock when Cora came home one day (later than Derek, which was rare) and said, "I have a job and an apartment, I'll be moving out next week."

Derek swallowed the spoonful of yesterday's pasta which was in his mouth sharply, and said dumbly, "What."

Cora rolled her eyes, a common Hale trait, and repeated, "I've got a job as a waitress in a coffee shop not far from A Peony, and this customer in there today is renting apartments for really cheap prices. He said I could move in next week if I want, and I want."

She shrugged off her jacket and draped it over the back of the couch before walking into the kitchen. Derek scrambled to his feet, and followed her a into the kitchen, where Cora was drinking some orange juice (right out of the carton, I might add, a true pet peeve of Derek's.) She watched him with a frown as he stared at her, trying to find the right words to say.

He eventually settled on, "So you're moving?" Cora nodded, not taking the carton away from her lips. "Oh, well, um... Is it furnished? I mean, do you need to buy anything for this new apartment? I'll help you out, Laura too, probably."

Cora shook her head, swallowed the last of the juice, before tossing the empty carton into the peddle bin in the corner of the kitchen. "No, everything's fine there." She bit her lip for a second, and Derek sensed the 'but' before she said, " _But_ he wants a deposit, plus the first two months rent up front, and I don't have any money." She quickly added, "I'll pay you back, obviously!"

Derek smiled at her, and agreed. She squealed, and hugged him tightly, before muttering something about a shower, and walking out of the room. Derek stayed in the kitchen a few moments, not trusting himself to move, allowing the grin to fall from his face. Of course he wanted Cora to have a place of her own, but he also liked having her living with him. It was comforting having someone to come home to, even if it was just his sister. And neither he nor Laura had spoken to Cora in so long, it was nice having her where Derek knew she was, instead of being states away wondering if she was dead in a ditch somewhere, or getting herself into trouble. Truthfully, Derek just wasn't sure quite how to feel.

\--

Stiles was at a writers conference in Las Vegas, so walking into work each morning, Derek could breathe easy. There would be no ambushes, or awkward elevator rides for at least another three days, and Derek revelled in knowing he was able to just focus on cases and leg work. Boyd, however, was a _completely_ different story.

He still hadn't told Erica, because she was still in LA, and would be for another week. But he was beginning to grate on Derek's nerves. He felt sicker with each passing day, knowing that he had helped Boyd in lying to her. Boyd was his best friend, sure, but he and Erica were still close, she didn't deserve it, and Derek couldn't shake the feeling that it would be partly his fault when Erica got home to the news of what Boyd had done.

"Morning Derek," Danny Mahealani said as he passed, as Derek walked over to the elevator, drawing him from his thoughts.

"Hey, Danny, did you get that case file I sent you for your Sterling versus Gaunt case?" Derek asked, holding the elevator doors open by pressing a palm against the side of the door.

"Yeah I did, thanks, you did me a major solid." Danny replied, nodding.

"Great," Derek said, before stepping back into the elevator and allowing the doors to slide closed.

Things were, for the most part, relatively normal. Derek could almost pretend he was back in those wonderful weeks before he'd met Stiles in the flower shop that day. Then he thought of all the things he'd gained, Cora being the most prominent, and concluded that, actually, he wouldn't change it for the world.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> GUESS WHOS BACK, BACK AGAIN, I'M BACK, BACK AGAIN!  
> Thank you so much everyone for being patient with me!   
> So, basically, I'm not entirely convinced this isn't total crap, but it's a new chapter guys! Are you proud?  
> I'm not sure I spelled Danny's name right, but fuck it!  
> Thank you to Storm, lordkirashand, SheriffDylinski, coreofcuddles and finestsymphony for commenting on my last chapter (*cough* apology *cough*).  
> I don't know why but I just got this urge to write again today and now there are three new chapters! The next chapter is a little more Sterek central, this was more of a filler than anything else, but I'll post the next chapter in a few days!  
> Thanks again for being patient with me!  
> Thanks for reading, feel free to leave kudos or a comment as they make me smile!  
> Until the next one!


	18. Appologies and Plans

But for Derek, peace never lasted long, and the final three days with Stiles away disappearing at an alarming rate, Derek had sweaty palms walking into work that day. He tried his best to go about business as usual; buying a newspaper from the vender a block away from the building, buying a coffee from his favourite coffee shop, shooting an only _mildly_ flirtatious smile at the receptionist on his way past (to stay in her good books), and stepping into the elevator without incident.

In fact, Derek managed to make it all the way to his floor, and then to his office door before he had a near heart attack. Staring up at him with a sheepish grin on his face (so adorable it was unfair, really), was Stiles. Derek stared, open mouthed, for a few seconds before realising where he was.

"Stiles, what are you doing here?" He asked, rubbing the back of his neck, conscious that they were in a public place.

"I was hoping I could ask you about something." Stiles explained, standing up. "Please," He added shyly.

Derek, who didn't think he'd ever seen Stiles shy before, nodded and opened his office door. Stiles followed him inside. Derek was extremely conscious of the state of his office which was mostly clear of files by this point, but Derek knew Stiles had only ever seen the inside of Jackson's pristine office, and in comparison his was a complete and utter mess.

Derek closed the door behind them, and sat at his desk. Stiles sat in the dark leather seat on the other side, somewhat awkwardly, and looked around. Derek, unsure of what to say or even to do, made a point of digging out his laptop from his bag and placing it on his desk. He sat awkwardly for a few moments, staring at the laptop, then, he looked expectantly at Stiles.

"I-I just wanted to explain about me and Isaac." Stiles finally said.

"You don't have to-"

"No." Stiles interrupted firmly, "I do." He took a breath before continuing. "I was upset. I really liked you, a lot, even though I didn't really know you, and I guess I still don't. And you liked me back, I think. But you had this idea that we couldn't be together because it would be unprofessional and it seemed like a pretty weak excuse. I guess I wanted to hurt you like I was hurting and that wasn't fair, not to you or to Isaac. You were right, I was proving a point. I got to know Jackson a bit more, and realised you really would have been in the shit if anything had happened between us. And I want to apologise for trying to hurt you."

Derek nodded, still not sure what to say. He continued to stare at Stiles, hoping Stiles would continue the conversation. He took in Stiles' pretty eyes, and his well-bitten red lips. His fingers were twitching on the desk as though he just couldn't keep them still, and his whole body was shaking from where his leg was bouncing up and down with nervous energy.

"I just..." Stiles licked his lips - which was extremely distracting in Derek's opinion - before continuing. "I wanted you to hear from me rather than the press, me and Isaac, we're not together anymore. I broke things off but really it was a mutual decision. I thought it was only really fair I told you in person."

Derek found himself nodding again, before stopping himself and saying, "You didn't have to do that."

"No," Stiles argued. "I did, because this whole time I've been out of order. I shouldn't have been angry at you for rejecting me, that was petulant and stupid and I'm sorry."

Derek smiled at him, never one to use words when gestures would suffice, to show that it was okay, he understood. He was familiar with lashing out when things got hard or uncomfortable, and memories of a younger version of himself having yelling matches with Laura not long after their parents' deaths flooded his mind. He shook them away, and looked down at his lap to avoid meeting Stiles' eyes.

"Look, I think you're a good guy." Stiles continued, and Derek got the impression he just didn't like silence to stretch on too long. "And good guys usually make great friends. And you're worried dating will get you fired, and I'm worried it'll be all over the front page of every newspaper in New York. So what I'm proposing is we just be friends."

"Friends?" Derek repeated, looking up to meet Stiles' eye, unsure if he'd heard Stiles correctly.

Stiles huffed out a laugh and replied, "Yes, Derek, friends. You know, people who share mutual affection of a platonic manner."

Derek shook his head, but was unable to fight off a grin as he said, "I know what friends are, Stiles. I just wasn't sure I'd heard you right. You want us to be friends?"

"Yes, is that a problem?"

"No," Derek replied, "I should probably warn you though, I'm not very good at the whole friends thing."

Stiles grinned, and perhaps it should have appeared dangerous, but Derek was entirely endeared by it. "Likewise, but maybe if we're both bad at it, we'll cancel out and be, like, the new Holmes and Watson."

"Don't Holmes and Watson have a load of gay subtext?" Derek asked.

In reply, Stiles only grinned, and Derek couldn't help but worry what he'd just gotten himself into.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Some Sterek, finally!  
> I quite like this chapter, actually, what do you guys think? Also, I still have four chapters to post, so hopefully there wont be any more month-long gaps between a new chapter.  
> Thank you to storm, JacksonSlade and wantingthis2 for commenting on my last chapter. Comments means so much to me, you can't even begin to understand.  
> The next chapter should be up in a few days (either Sunday or Monday but no promises).  
> Remember when I said I thought there'd only be twenty-something parts to this? Well, I was so wrong!  
> Thanks so much for reading!  
> Until the next one!


	19. Vodka and Buttons

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> WARNING!  
> This chapter contains the beginnings of sex. There is little detail and description of nudity. If you are uncomfortable with this please do not read further. Sorry and thank you.

Moving day came around all too quick for Derek's liking, and he wasn't looking forward to living alone again. He and Laura each paid half of what the landlord asked for the rent and deposit money, and agreed it was excellently priced for what was offered. It was small, and only had a shower, and the area wasn't great, but Cora was happy, so Derek was too. They agreed that Hale-night would become a weekly thing, and they'd meet to eat out together, or watch a movie or something every Sunday evening. Derek was just looking forward to the normalcy of having both of his sisters with him.

But, inevitably, the day of Erica's arrival came around fast as well. The morning of her return, Derek received a text message from Boyd promising to tell her that evening, and then Derek couldn't concentrate all day. He felt tired when he arrived home that day, his neck and shoulders ached with tension as he made himself a ready meal. He switched on the TV as he walked back into the living room, and some superficial news programme Cora was obsessed with appeared on the TV. With it came Stiles' face.

"It's called the see-saw of hope," Stiles told the camera, a far off glint in his eye, and Derek immediately realised this must have been from the writers con he'd been to. "Upon reading Shakespeare's Romeo and Juliet, Christopher Argent wrote arguably his most famous work, A Cat Rising in the East. In the author's notes, he explained that the main character, Jesse, rode the see-saw of hope in his relationship with Amanda. Basically, for every moment where they were together, there was an equal and opposite moment where they weren't. It can be applied to every scenario and is sort of like the writer's take on Karma. I believe that Micah experiences the see-saw with him being a Seer. One moment, he's being told he isn't one, and the next he is. I think that it's a question that won't be answered until the very end, much like Jesse and Amanda didn't kiss for the first time until the very last line of A Cat Rising in the East."

Stiles finished his monologue just as Derek finished eating, and turned the TV back off again, his mind wandering too much for him to concentrate on it anyway. His head was buzzing with the thought of what if he and Stiles were riding a see-saw of hope. Would it be tipped in favour of them now they were friends, or against them.

They'd exchanged numbers and addresses, and sometimes Stiles would text him to say he was having a shitty day, or the guy next to him on the tube smelled like piss, and they could say hello to each other in passing. But not much felt different, and maybe that's why when there was a knock at his door after throwing away the ready meal tray, the last person Derek expects stood at his door wielding a bottle of vodka is Stiles. But it is.

"Hey," Stiles said, and then his eyes widen at the shocked expression painted on Derek's face, "Shit, am I interrupting something? I should have called, sorry!"

"No, I just wasn't expecting you, you're not interrupting anything." Derek explained quickly. "Why are you here?"

"I have had a _very_ bad day, and I have literally nothing written, but my editor wants the next three chapters of the new book in two days. Wanna get smashed whilst I pretend I'm not drowning in deadlines and a mental breakdown?" Stiles answered, holding up the vodka bottle for Derek to see.

Derek didn't drink very often, and he didn't like to. He didn't like the way alcohol could make you lose control of yourself, and he didn't like the effects it could have on people. Kate liked to get drunk every weekend, and she wasn't a nice drunk. She was mean and abusive, and it was one of the reasons they split.

But Stiles looked hopeful, and a little bit nervous, and the way he was biting his lip was all too distracting for Derek's own good. So, despite the fact he hadn't been drunk since he was in high school, Derek replied - thinking of the conversation happening between Erica and Boyd somewhere far away - "Fuck yes."

\--

Three quarts of the bottle later, Derek was sat lazily on one side of his couch. Stiles took up the other two seats because of his long limbs, and the fact he couldn't sit still for longer than two freaking minutes. Derek was a little foggy, even though he'd barely drunk anything - Stiles had made quick work of the vodka - but he and Stiles somehow managed to muddle through a somewhat coherent conversation.

"No dude, I didn't want to write until I was halfway through college and realised I was working towards a degree in marketing." Stiles takes another long swig of vodka before adding, "I don't give a shit about marketing!"

It wasn't amusing in the slightest, but Derek's head felt fuzzy, and all of a sudden it was the funniest thing in the world. Stiles laughed along with him, and Derek decided that he may be almost drunk, but that was his new favourite sound ever, and he would _kill_ to hear it again. Stiles' amber eyes were shinning brilliantly, and they were so damn pretty...

"Man, it fucking sucks that I'm a celebrity and your boss is a dick, because I really wanna kiss you right now, but ssssshhhhhhh-" Stiles put a finger to Derek's lips, -"don't tell Derek!"

Derek laughed again and said, "You're wasted!"

This made Stiles laugh, and he fell forwards as he did so. Derek caught him by the shoulders, and Stiles cried, "My hero!" so loudly Derek was sure his neighbours would be able to hear.

He'd have been more worried if Stiles didn't feel incredibly warm under his palms, and if Stiles' cologne wasn't quite so intoxicating. As it was, Stiles smelled like honey underneath the cologne, and the mixture of scents, plus the alcohol, was really effecting Derek's judgement. So much so, that when Stiles began to lean in, he didn't even put up a fight.

Stiles lips were millimetres away from Derek's when he whispered, "This is a terrible idea."

"Yeah," Derek replied, eyes drawn to Stiles' lips.

Barely seconds later, Stiles was sat fully in Derek's lap, their lips pressed hard together. Stiles had his hands in Derek's hair, running his fingers through the dark tendrils. Derek had his hands grabbing Stiles' hips almost possessively, and the world could be burning outside, but _nothing_ could've made Derek pull away for even a second.

But eventually he had to, so he could breathe again. But he didn't move far, pressing his lips against Stiles' cheek, trailing down his neck to his collar bone in a long line of wet, open-mouthed kisses. Stiles' long, graceful fingers fumbled with the shirt Derek was still wearing - as he hadn't yet had time to change out of his work clothes. Stiles let out a little hum or whine each time Derek's lips made contact with his pale skin, and Derek wondered what it would be like to follow the constellation of moles dotting Stiles' cheek, meandering down his long throat, and disappearing into his t-shirt.

Finally, Stiles had undone the final button on his shirt, and Derek leaned forwards from the back of the couch so Stiles could push it down his shoulders. Stiles eyes widened and darkened with lust, and Derek couldn't help but blush. He knew is was a good-looking guy, but never before had he felt so confident in his looks.

Stiles leaned forwards again to press his lips against Derek's and Derek didn't put up a fight, kissing back as hard as he got. Stiles' hands trailed across his abs, paying special attention to his happy trail, before moving up his torso, back to his hair. Derek let his own hands slide under Stiles' loose fitting t-shirt, feeling warm skin beneath his palms and finger tips, following the length of Stiles' spine with the very tip of the middle finger on his left hand.

Stiles moaned loudly against Derek's mouth, and pulled away from the kiss long enough to mutter, "Bedroom," before latching their lips together again.

Stiles stood up, untangling his long, lean legs from Derek's, and pulled Derek with him. Derek led Stiles to the bedroom with most of his attention on how good it felt to have Stiles' body pressed right against his, and to have their lips almost never parting. He paid little attention to stumbling towards his bedroom.

Somewhere, in the crevice of his mind which the mixture of vodka and Stiles hadn't quite reached, Derek was hyper aware of what was going on. And not in a good way. Derek had always had a rule - a five date rule. He wasn't the sort to just sleep around because at heart he was a hopeless romantic (hopeless being the operative word), and sex had a deeper meaning to him. He didn't just want to sleep with every guy he met on the streets.

Stiles felt warm beneath him, as they toppled onto his bed. Stiles flipped them over so he was, once again, straddling Derek's thick thighs. He pulled of his own t-shirt, and Derek ran his hands across the sharp edges and jutting bones of Stiles' torso. He wasn't toned the way Derek was, but he was far from the weedy, wiry little guy Derek had imagined.

Derek wasn't an expert, but he was mostly sure friends didn't do this. They didn't kiss each other like their lives depended on it, they didn't fumble with zippers and stubborn jean buttons. They didn't trail kisses down each other's torsos, the way Stiles was slowly moving downwards towards Derek's pants, forcing sharp moans from the very pits of Derek's stomach. Stiles made sure to kiss each of the hardening buds on Derek's pecks, and seemed almost disappointed that Derek wasn't very sensitive there. But he made it to the waist of Derek's black slacks, and the zipper and button were both undone within a few seconds.

And that did it for Derek, because _friends_ don't kiss each other's hips, as one of their hands disappear into the other's boxer shorts.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm sorry to anyone who was happy Sterek would be friends. They do have 'friends' conversation in later chapters, alas that ship sailed the moment they met.   
> If anyone feels the rating should increase please let me know, but for now I will leave it as Teen and Up.  
> I am not a smut writer, I'm a blushing (but not really) little virgin who has read far too much gay porn online because I have a grand total of like three straight ships. So I'm sorry if this was bad or made anyone uncomfortable, but I tried!  
> Thank you to SheriffDylinski, MeegaNalaKweesta and Kelmeckis for commenting on my last chapter. Seeing notifications in my inbox really does make my day so thank you, thank you, thank you!  
> I'll probably post the next chapter on Thursday or Friday, depending on how hectic my week gets as I am back to school tomorrow after a wonderful week off for half term. As a result I got a lot of writing done, but this is probably the most I'll get done until December when I'm next off. Maybe I'll do Sterek at Christmas? I don't know. Anyhow, I think I've got maybe two or three more chapters to write and an epilogue (because I fucking love those, man) before this is finished, so I think there'll be about thirty chapters in total? I have twenty four of which written, so!  
> Anyways, thank you all so much for reading! Please, if you're feeling lovely, leave kudos and a comment as they mean a lot to me, and thank you all so very much for being lovely!


	20. Morning Afters and Surprise Announcements

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> For anyone who skipped the last chapter, Stiles and Derek got it on even though they both know it's a terrible idea. Okay!  
> There's a little reference to it but it's mild, so...

When Derek woke up the next day, he wasn't sure if the pounding was in his head, or in real life. After a couple of seconds for him to wake up properly, Derek realised it was the latter and scrambled out of bed. Only to find himself stark naked. With wide, embarrassed eyes, Derek threw open one of his drawers, and pulled out a pair of Nike jogging bottoms. He wrestled them onto his legs, before bursting from his bedroom into his living room. The knocking on his door continued as he spotted his shirt on the couch, where it had been left the night before.

It was then that he realised something he perhaps should have straight away - Stiles wasn't there. Derek grabbed the shirt and threw it into the laundry basket in his bedroom, double checking the bed, but finding it still empty. Someone was still banging on his front door, so Derek decided he could worry about Stiles later.

Derek opened the door, and found Erica stood there. His heart dropped. He'd almost forgotten she was home, his mind being so preoccupied with other things, like work and working out. And, you know, the way Stiles mouth felt on a very important part of his male anatomy.

"Jeez, Erica, I have neighbours." Derek scolded, stepping out of the way to let Erica in.

Now cleared of the shirt, the room was as tidy as usual. There were no other clues about the way Derek had spent the previous night, and Derek was all too thankful for it. He'd never hear the last of it from Erica. But then again, if Boyd had kept his promise, Derek would be far from her main concern. However, Erica didn't appear sad. On the contrary, she seemed happy. Derek would go as far as saying ecstatic, and his mind was clouded by confusion.

"So, are you going to ask me why I'm here." Erica said, clearly a hint, her mouth curling into one of her dangerous smiles.

"Er, why are you here?" Derek asked, running a hand through his hair. He hadn't drank that much, but it still felt like he had the world's worst hang over.

"Because," Erica said with glee, "We're engaged!"

As if to prove she wasn't lying, Erica held up her left hand. Sure enough, glinting on her ring finger, was the ring Derek had found sat on Boyd's coffee table so long ago. Derek followed the ring to Erica's face, where she looked happier than Derek had ever seen her. For a moment Derek couldn't work out why he didn't feel happier for her, then he remembered. Boyd, obviously, had not told her the truth, and that sparked a strong rage in Derek's stomach.

"Boyd'll be in the office today if you want to give him congratulations." Erica babbled, admiring her ring, "I assume you'll be best man." Derek nodded along somewhat numbly, "Anyway, just wanted to let you know." Erica said, walking past Derek to the door. "Oh, you might want to eat some soup or something, you look pretty pale Derek. I hope you're not coming down with something. Anyway, work calls. Bye."

"Yeah, bye," Derek half choked, and watched as the door slammed shut behind Erica. He felt furious.

\--

Derek had dressed in a suit, even though he wasn't actually working (it was Saturday and he didn't have any cases, he'd envisioned a day sat reading and tidying round and all the boring adult stuff he had to do now he lived alone). He smiled at the receptionist as usual, and stepped into the elevator, selecting Boyd's floor instead of his own.

He was there in no time, walking as calmly as he could down the corridor. He gave a flirtatious grin to the receptionist, who blushed seven shades of red, cavernous dimples showing in her return smile, gesturing for Derek to just go straight on in. He winked at her, before opening the door to Boyd's office. He did everything as calmly as he could, closing the door gently behind him, and walking over to Boyd's desk.

He leant forward and said, "What the hell are you playing at?" He said it in a voice which sounded like his own, but had enough malice behind it that Boyd visibly gulped.

"I don't know-"

"Erica came round this morning. She was so excited about being engaged." Derek explained, that same too-calm tone to his voice. "Now why is she not making voodoo dolls that look like you, eating more ice-cream than she's ever consumed in her life, crying at some Matthew McConaughey movie, and writing crappy poetry?"

"I haven't told her," Boyd mumbled, pretending to be reading one of the files laid out on his desk.

"No shit you haven't told her. Why have you not?" Derek hissed, his normal façade melting away.

"I didn't want to hurt her-"

"Yeah, because it's going to hurt less finding out later down the line." Derek scoffed. "Either you tell her, or I do. You have until this time next week, and trust me when I say, I'm being _extremely_ generous."

With that, Derek left the office, nodding at the pretty receptionist, planning to deal with his next problem.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for reading!  
> Thanks to BellamyEverAfter for commenting on my last chapter.  
> School's crazy at the minute, so uploading will probably be once a week for which I apologise but I have my priorities.   
> Until the next one!


	21. Aftermath and Workload

Three days with no calls, texts, Stiles hadn't even left a note to explain (Derek had scoured his entire apartment to check). It was Monday, Derek was sat in his office sorting out the case files stacked randomly around the room in hopes of making the place look tidier, but to no real avail. Work was sparse, and any cases that did come into the firm, Jackson dictated to someone else. Jackson seemed particularly pissed off, at the moment.

Not that Derek minded not drowning in work. It meant he could spend more time worrying about his own life. I'm sorry, did I say Derek didn't mind? I meant he wished just one damn case would fall on his desk, so that he'd have something to distract himself with. He had too much running through his mind to try and focus on one thing for very long, and it was beginning to give him a headache.

Derek was so preoccupied with his internal bitching, he didn't notice someone had entered his office until he turned round to find Jackson there. Jackson was accompanied by his minions, as usual, each of them in an identical black suit. (They all wore sunglasses outside, even if it wasn't sunny, which annoyed Derek no end, fucking MIB wannabes.) But what did surprise him was that Stiles was there too. He looked as uncomfortable as Derek felt, and Derek almost felt some sadistic glee, but was too miserable to manage it.

"Derek," Jackson said, voice gruff.

"Jackson," Derek replied, keeping his own tone neutral.

"Look, I'll keep this short. Some small town no-name's decided he wants to open a court case against Mr Stilinski, and it involves travelling down to rural Pennsylvania. Some place called Ligonier." Derek had never heard of it. "Boyd and I have a load of high-profile cases to work, so we can't go. As much as it pains me to admit, you're the best we've got." Derek _did_ take some sadistic glee this time, as Jackson really did seem in some sort of pain as he said the words.

"It's not a big thing," Jackson continued, clearing his throat to pierce the awkwardness. "You'll go down, maybe spend a week there, tell Mr No-Name that any similarities between one of the characters and his late wife are purely coincidental, make nice with the people, come home."

Derek nodded, and leaned back against his desk, trying to feign confidence. Stiles wasn't looking at him, and he was doing his best not to look at Stiles. _Three days_ , Derek kept saying in his head. Surely by now he'd have at least wanted to call Derek just to say, 'Hey remember that thing we did? Y'know, the whole night of having sex (which was  _really_ good by the way). Huge mistake, let's pretend it never happened. Okay, have a nice day, friend!' But Derek was receiving complete radio silence.

"When?" Derek asked.

"You travel down Monday, travel home on the Saturday." Jackson explained.

"Who are we flying with?" Derek said, hoping he was asking all the right questions - he wasn't much of a traveller, that was more Laura's thing.

"You're not flying, you're driving." Jackson replied, as though it were obvious.

"That's like an eight hour drive!" Derek exclaimed, sounding petulant even to himself.

"Seven, actually." Jackson corrected.

Derek wasn't one to complain about long car journeys, he sometimes quite liked looking out of the window and watching the world roll passed. He remembered as a kid that sometimes, out of term time, his dad would take him to meetings the next state over. Derek would often sleep better curled up in the back seat of their old Rover, stomach full of a McDonalds they stopped at the services to get, than in his own bed. But stuck in a tin can for seven hours the way things were with Stiles? Derek wondered if he might die from the uncomfortableness alone! And then with the sudden horror only realisation can bring, Derek realised it would be seven hours there, and then seven hours back again, and felt very ill suddenly.

"Come into the office Monday at eight, you'll be stopping around mid-way for something to eat. Hotel and food is all being paid for by the firm." Jackson explained, sounding almost bored. "Any questions?" Jackson barely gave Derek two seconds to answer before he was saying, "Good!" Then he walked back out of the office.

Stiles stayed for a few moments, and almost looked as though he was going to say something, but then he shook his head and exited the office, leaving Derek behind. As soon as his office door closed, Derek let out a growl. He would be spending a grand total of fourteen hours stuck in a car with Stiles, and didn't think it could get any worse.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello, thank you for reading.  
> Thanks to Kelmeckis for commenting on my last chapter (did I spell that right?).  
> I don't much like getting involved in politics as I am too young really to understand, but no one can escape from the recent presidential election results, not even my English ass. I don't want to rant about how atrocious the result is or anything, I just want to say to any minority group be that POC's, LGBTQ+ community members, women, or anyone at all, my [tumblr](https://www.tumblr.com/blog/all-the-best-urls-were-used) , Instagram, ANYWHERE is a safe place. I'm not about to pretend that I know your suffering, I'm a white girl from a working class family who has always had access to basic necessities and plenty a luxury, but know my thoughts are with you all, and if ever you need to rant to anyone, I am here ready and willing to give terrible advice and make awful jokes.  
> Something closer to home, today is remembrance Sunday. I have been wearing my poppy badge all week, and in my school we stood for a minutes silence to remember on Friday. Armistice day is a very important day to a lot of people, and although I am not directly affected by it, I am thankful for the on-going sacrifice of the army, navy and air force, as I am sure many of you are. I think today is a day where it is important to realise how lucky most of us are for what and who we have, and I think sometimes in this materialistic world, we forget that and it is good to be reminded.  
> I'm sorry for all the politics and whatever, I just felt they were important points to make. I hope you enjoyed this chapter, and the next one will be uploaded soon. Thank you again.  
> Until the next one.


	22. Journeys and Rooms

As it happened, the trip _could_ get worse, as Derek found out when they finally reached Ligonier. It was a sweet town, Derek thought, the sort of thing you'd expect. Gas stations, churches, a million and one museums about the civil war. Sure, it was a little out dated, but it had that sort of gingerbread village feel to it. It was the sort of quiet little village Derek could see in those horror movies where the nice old lady is actually a murderer, and the Sheriff buries the bodies for her.

Derek's hopes were lifted slightly, until it came to check-in. Their chauffer was some woman called Jennifer who flirted with Derek the entire journey in varying degrees of sexual harassment. She, obviously, had a room to herself as she was a woman, and Jackson was a good boss to everyone else. But Derek and Stiles-

"I'm sorry sir, but there are only two rooms booked. A double and a single." The receptionist said apologetically. "Mr Whittemore's secretary said the driver would have one room, and you and Mr Stilinski would have another."

Derek stared in mild horror. Fourteen hours in a car with him, and now five days sharing a room! Derek wondered what he'd done to piss the universe off so damn much that he was being punished so cruelly. Stiles looked as horror stricken as Derek felt, and Derek was a little relieved he wasn't the only one who was dreading this. He was also relieved that he apparently wasn't blowing everything out of proportion after all.

"If it means that much to you, you can always come share my room," Jennifer said with a wink. Derek decided that perhaps sharing a room with Stiles wasn't that bad considering the alternative.

\--

"How are we gonna do this?" Stiles asked as soon as they were alone together in the solitude of their room.

"Do what?" Derek replied in confusion, the last threads of anger still pulsing through his veins.

"Get through this week." Stiles said with a bitter smile.

Derek shook his head. He had no idea either. I mean, it would be alright if they had some times that wasn't spent in each other's company, but it seemed that they would be stuck together for the whole week. The only time they'd have apart was shitting and showering, and Derek was _not_ looking forward to having Stiles' wet, naked body a thin bathroom wall away.

For over a week, Derek had been waking up half-hard and angry remembering their night spent together. He was really beginning to hate the game he and Stiles were playing. Taking one step forwards only to go back again three paces. They were getting nowhere, and Derek didn't know if it was the wasted energy spent trying to figure out what the hell was going on with them, or the fact that he still wanted to go _anywhere_ with Stiles which annoyed him so much.

With a sigh, Derek said, "I'm gonna take a shower." And with that he left the room.

\--

Derek was just out of the shower, wrapping one of his own towels (he had a thing about using other people's) around his waist, when his phone rang. He checked first whose face appeared on the screen, and found Erica grinning back at him. His stomach dropped. He'd been focused on Stiles he'd forgotten about Boyd and Erica. He hadn't checked Boyd had been honest, and hadn't told Erica himself yet. As he answered, he knew straight away he couldn't do it over the phone.

"Hey Der, how's lover-boy?" Erica asked.

"Y'know what, I regret telling you more and more each day." Derek replied, fondly.

Erica laughed and said, "Alright, alright, truce! Listen, I don't want to trouble you whilst you're away working, but it's Boyd."

Derek felt immediately sick upon hearing that name from Erica's lips. "What about Boyd?" He asked nervously, hoping it wouldn't show.

"He wants this band to play at the wedding, but there is no way in hell I'm walking down the aisle to the sort of screaming about cutting shit he listens to." Erica explained exasperatedly. "Please, please, please, talk some sense into him! I'll love you forever and ever!"

Derek sighed with relief and said, "You have all the power in the relationship, Erica. Use it!"

"What, withhold sex or something?" Erica asked, sounding somewhere between amused and impressed.

Suddenly there was a great crash then a cry from within the room, sharp and clear. Derek had visions of some guy bursting into the room, wielding a weapon. Were authors often assassinated? Derek didn't know. All he did know was that Stiles was far too pretty for people to be barging into the hotel room uninvited. More visions, of gang rapes, and Stiles tied, naked, to a tree somewhere in the middle of nowhere, left Derek wondering if he could sue his own imagination.

Panicked, Derek said quickly, "If that's what it takes, gotta go, bye!"

With one hand holding his towel, Derek unlocked the bathroom door silently. Then, with a cry, Derek leaped into the room. No one was there, the door was fine, Stiles was crouching on one of the beds, horror clear on his face as he stared into the corner of the room hidden from Derek's view by a desk.

"Stiles, what's wrong?" Derek asked, panic not quite out of his system, still worried for Stiles' safety.

"S-S-Spider!" Stiles replied desperately, pointing a shaking finger into the corner.

Derek sighed and realised, it was going to be one hell of a long week.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ligonier is a real town I found on google maps. It is a sweet little town, but I'm not sure about the civil war museum thing. I may have been watching Sweet Home Alabama when I wrote this chapter, fucking sue me.  
> I have been a very busy writer bee this weekend and wrote something extremely questionable. Remember in chapter, like, 19 I think? Or whichever, they got their freak on? Well I wrote it! I wrote a one-shoty smutty thing which is what happened between getting drunk together and Derek waking up alone. That is [here](http://archiveofourown.org/works/8605249) if you would like to read it.  
> Big thanks to Scarlett_Liz and spalso for commenting on my last chapter. Comments really do make me want to write well.  
> Leave kudos and comments if you're feeling lovely.  
> Thanks a bunch, until the next one!


	23. Coffee Shops and Phone Calls

Ligonier was hell. Stiles left dirty socks laying around, snored louder than anyone else Derek knew (which wasn't a problem if Derek managed to get to sleep first, but in three days he'd managed that feat once), and would walk around in loose t-shirts and sweats which was far hotter than it should have been. Derek was _this_ close to a mental breakdown.

Not to mention the guy wanting to sue Stiles. He was a nightmare! He was originally from Kansas, and had this annoying southern drawl which made Derek's skin crawl. He was being purposefully difficult, and was seriously beginning to grate on Derek's nerves. His claim wasn't even valid, but he was refusing to play ball. Derek had another meeting with him that day as he sat down across from Stiles in a coffee house called _Abigail's_. One of the locals, who was sat nearby, eyed them suspiciously in a way that made Derek angry, although he couldn't quite specify why.

"I hate small towns," he huffed, taking a sip of coffee (the waitress, Kira, had managed to memorise their order. "Never forget a pretty face," she'd said, eyeing Derek).

"Not that small," Stiles said, taking a long gulp of his own. "I grew up somewhere smaller." Derek raised his eyebrows, so Stiles continued. "Place called Beacon Hills, it's in Cali. Nice enough place but there's not a whole lot there. Few shops, sheriff department, that sort of thing. There's a mall about a half an hour drive away, but even that's tiny. What about you?"

"Well, I'm from Cali too, but up north, near Oregon. It's was a big enough town, I guess." Derek replied.

"Was it nice?" Stiles asked.

Derek shrugged. "It was... home, I guess." He said. "It was just always home."

Derek wasn't lying, it was just home. That was, until both of his parents were torn from his life, and every time he thought of their two storey little place with a garage small attached. There were four bedrooms, so no one had to share, and two bathrooms. Sure, they could have afforded something bigger, but they were happy where they were. It had been Talia and Ken's first home, and through each bought and sold business, it remained theirs. Derek just didn't think he'd be able to voice all that.

"Y'know," Stiles said in a voice which Derek was beginning to relate to whenever Stiles was about to say something sarcastic, "friends tell each other stuff, like the real, deep stuff."

"Friends?" Derek repeated. "We're friends now?"

"Well yeah, why wouldn't we be?" Stiles asked with a confused huff of a laugh.

"Because ever since we got here you've been avoiding the elephant in the room." Derek replied, no humour in his tone.

"What elephant?" Stiles said, but from the waver in his words Derek got the feeling Stiles knew what he was talking about.

"How we slept together and haven't talked about it since!" Derek hissed, not wanting the creepy guy _still_ staring at them to hear what was being said.

Derek felt a confusing, consuming mixture of relief and anger when his phone rang in his pocket. Stiles let out a breath, and Derek decided that for Stiles, it was all relief. He fished it out from within his pocket, and Boyd's number appeared on screen, with a picture of Boyd - not looking all to impressed that Erica (who'd taken the picture) was shoving a phone in his face) - above it.

"Yeah," Derek growled down the phone, looking away from Stiles.

"Jesus, what's up your ass?" Boyd asked in reply, a grimace evident in his voice.

Derek looked at Stiles and said, "One sec," into the phone. He then said to Stiles, "I'm going to take this outside, then we'll go to Mr Harris' place to try and sort this cluster-fuck."

When he was outside the diner, looking out onto the square, and the quaint bandstand stood in the centre of it, Derek put the phone to his ear again. Away from Stiles, he was reminded of his other problem - Boyd _still_ hadn't told Erica about what he'd done, and by now Derek was _pissed_.

"Alright, what do you want?" Derek said gruffly into the speaker.

"I wanted to say about me and Erica-"

"Don't." Derek interrupted. "Seriously don't, because when I get back from this hell hole, I'm telling Erica everything, and there's nothing you can do or say to stop me, you understand."

There was a small intake of breath on the other end, and then Boyd was speaking again. "You wanna tell her, you go right ahead. You ruin our relationship, ruin her life and mine."

"Don't try to guilt me," Derek growled, "You slept with someone else, not me."

"I'm not. I just want you to know this; if you fuck me over, I'll do exactly the same to you." Boyd replied, and Derek could hear the sadistic glee in Boyd's deep voice. "I'll tell Jackson about you're little crush on Stiles, and then Jackson will crush you, and I won't do a thing to stop it."

Derek shook his head and huffed out a bitter laugh, "Please, Boyd. That's the worst you've got? There's nothing there between me and Stiles, you're threats are empty. I'm telling Erica, and that's final."

With that Derek hung up, and couldn't help but wonder where along the line he and Boyd had gone from best friends to worst enemies.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Abigail's is a real place I found on google when I put in local coffee shops. Again, Ligonier is a real place and is probably lovely. Sorry if you live there, but shout out if you live there!   
> Sorry for not posting last week, but I've had mock exams all week so I've been going a little mad and so this wasn't quite my priority, very sorry. But I'm early this week so maybe you'll forgive me?  
> Again, I wrote a one-shoty smutty thing which is [here](http://archiveofourown.org/works/8605249) if you'd wanna go read that!  
> Thanks to Scarlett_Liz (I think) for commenting on my last chapter!  
> Please leave a comment!


	24. Confrontation and Anxiety

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> WARNING  
> This chapter contains (a probably badly described) anxiety attack. This is a warning just to say that if anyone feels uncomfortable with this content, please do not read this chapter! Do not put yourself in a position to be uncomfortable! Thank you!

Derek decided he was going to attend church on Sunday, because only a miracle of God could've made Mr Harris agree not to take his 'case' to court. Derek even had a drink to celebrate, because after four days, man did he deserve it! Stiles went straight back to the room when Derek went to some bar called _Forks Inn_ , a ten minute drive away from the hotel.

When he got back to the room, Derek had only had one beer and decided that he was quite happy having a little buzz as he drove home. He also decided that it fucking sucked he couldn't take his alcohol. He unlocked the door and walked into the room, to find Stiles sat in the middle of his bed with his legs crossed, hair damp, staring at Derek.

"You wanted to talk, let's talk." Stiles said, his voice calmer and deeper than Derek had ever heard it. "Where do you want to start?"

Derek shrugged off his jacket, but didn't break eye-contact with Stiles. He couldn't. After months of dancing around the issue, finally they were going to sit down and talk about what the hell was going on between them. Hell, they might even be able to find out whether or not they were friends, something more, or just two people clinging to each other despite everything saying they should both let go.

"You came to my apartment," Derek began, sitting on the edge of his own bed. "You got drunk, we had sex." Derek watched Stiles' face and noticed that his harsh expression softened only mildly. "At some point between that happening, and me waking up the next morning, you vanished into thin air. Then afterwards, didn't even bother to answer my calls. If you regretted it-"

"Of course I regretted it!" Stiles exclaimed suddenly, hands flailing wildly in a way Derek suspected he couldn't help and did frequently. "Because we've had this conversation before haven't we! We don't work because your boss is a dick, and because for whatever reason people like to see my face in the news! And we were gonna be friends, and it was gonna be fine! Then I fucked it up and didn't know what to do!"

"So you decided going AWOL was a good solution?" Derek demanded, voice beginning to rise.

"No!" Stiles cried standing up. "No, but when you fell asleep that night and I was watching you, I didn't want to mess you around anymore. I figured I'd go away and you'd move on!"

"It's been months, Stiles, I'm not moving on!" Derek shouted back, standing up also.

The movement brought them closer together. Stiles gasped as he flinched at their proximity, and took a stride backwards. Derek frowned and moved back, giving Stiles the space he clearly needed. Stiles took great, gasping breaths, as though he couldn't get the air he needed to breathe. Tears appeared in his eyes, and he began shaking violently. Derek knew the signs, and acted immediately.

"Stiles? Hey, hey, look at me?" Derek kept his voice soft and low as he spoke, not taking a step forward, allowing Stiles space to breathe. "Can you look at me, Stiles?"

Stiles complied, nodding a little, and looked at Derek. The tears had fallen, trailing long, wet lines down his cheeks. He was still shaking just as much as before, and the hands he had grasped under his chin convulsed. He looked so frail and pale, Derek just wanted to wrap him up in his arms and never let him go, but he knew this wasn't the time.

"Just- Fuck, just try to breathe, okay? Listen to my breathing," Derek paused so Stiles could, but he was unsure if Stiles would be able to over the sounds of his own laboured breaths. "Try and breathe in time with me, okay? And sit down, yeah, on the bed?"

Stiles did his best to nod again, and sat down on the edge of the bed. Derek sat on his own so their eyes were level, and to try and make himself as unimposing as possible. It had been a long time since he had had to talk someone down from a panic attack, and he could only vaguely remember what it was okay and not okay to do. Mostly, he just needed to make Stiles feel safe, and give him space to breathe.

"Is this okay?" Derek asked, watching Stiles closely. Stiles could only nod in reply. "Okay, it's okay, you're going to be alright. You just need to breathe, okay, just breathe for me?"

Derek phrased it as a request because he wasn't sure where Stiles' anxiety stemmed from, therefore how to treat him when he had an attack. Derek tried to breathe as heavily as possible, so Stiles could hear his even breaths and try to mimic them, but he wasn't sure how much help he was actually being.

"Good, Stiles." Derek praised when Stiles' breathing began to even out just a little. "You're okay, Stiles, you're going to be just fine." Stiles tried to nod, but it was half-hearted at best. "I'm right here, you're safe, no one's going to hurt you."

Derek was reeling off phrases he'd memorised from a pamphlet he was given. He'd stayed up all night the first time it happened, learning them so he could help next time. They were shit, Derek knew they were shit, and probably Stiles did too, but it was the best he had. Besides, he couldn't just do nothing.

Luckily, however, Stiles seemed to be calming down. His breathing, although still too fast, was evening out a little bit, and the shaking was beginning to stop. Tears were still falling, but a blush was beginning to creep into Stiles' cheeks, so Derek thought maybe they were more from embarrassment than the panic attack.

Derek stayed like that, muttering comforting words as Stiles calmed fully down. Then, when he felt confident to leave Stiles alone for a second, Derek went into the bathroom and grabbed the box of tissues on the edge of the sink. He took them back into the bedroom, and handed them to Stiles, kneeling next to him.

"I'm really fucking sorry about that." Stiles mumbled, voice hoarse. "I haven't had an anxiety attack since fucking high school."

"It's okay," Derek soothed, "Don't worry about it."

Stiles shook his head, dabbing at his eyes with a tissue. "How'd you know what to do, anyway?"

Derek shrugged, "My little sister, Cora, would get really bad panic attacks when she was younger. We all had to learn how to talk her down." Stiles nodded. "You wanna shower? I know you just went in but..."

"No, yeah, I'm gonna..." Stiles shook his head again. "I'm really sorry for leaving, and I'm even more sorry for not telling you why. I just thought maybe if I ignored this long enough it would go away for the both of us."

"Hey, friends, yeah?" Derek said, "I mean, what other choice do we really have."

Stiles smiled somewhat shyly, by his standards anyway, and agreed, "Friends."

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm sorry to everyone who read this who has anxiety and is like 'that's nothing like what it's like, what the fuck is this bitch on about?!?!'. My friend has anxiety, and from what she has told me about her attacks and such, this is the conclusion I've come to. I apologise to anyone who takes any offense from this, it was not intentional I promise, and I am very sorry if this is the case. Thank you.  
> Yes Stiles and Derek are really friends this time.  
> I'm thinking about drawing this story to a close soon, because I'm kinda tired of it? IDK. I don't want to leave it unfinished though, so I'm trying to write whenever I can force myself too, hence why the chapters are going downhill.  
> Also, sorry for the really late update. I didn't update last week because I was buying Christmas presents and preparing for my last week in school. Then I didn't update this Sunday just gone because I was spending time with my Mom and then I was gonna update yesterday, but I never got round to it because I started watching Shameless US on Netflix a week or so ago and it's REALLY addictive. So sorry about that. But here's an update nevertheless.  
> Thanks to Scarlett_Liz, v, coreofcuddles, Les430 and AvaLongway for commenting on my last chapter. Comments make me happy and are one of the few reasons I'm still writing this and haven't given up on it, so thanks guys for everything.  
> I hope you all have a great week and, if I don't update before hand, have a great Christmas!  
> Thanks for reading, until the next one!


	25. Bad Auhors and Hectic Lives

**THIS IS NOT AN UPDATE. THIS IS AN AUTHOR'S NOTE.**

Firstly, I'm so super sorry. It's been nearly a month since I updated, by this point I've become a hypocrite. I know it's annoying when author's never update, so I apologise profusely. See, the thing is, I fell in love with this prompt a while ago, but since I've felt like I was drifting from the story? I just have no inspiration to write this anymore and I'm really sorry. As a result, I've been writing mediocre at best chapters to try and update but even that's failed.

I have decided that instead of posting once every freaking millennia, I'll just take the pressure of myself. I'm taking a break from this for a while. In the meantime I'll be posting one-shots and short multi-chapter fics most likely, but I won't be posting any more chapters until the entire fic is finished. At that point I'll begin posting once a week again, and this time it _will_ be once a week!

This is a decision I've been pondering for a while now and is mostly down to personal demands. I take some pretty important exams this year and they have to be my priority. Also, I'm stressed enough from those without having to worry about updating this as well. I also have to write a short story once every week and I still haven't met the criteria for my latest title which is something I _need_ to get done pronto.

I'm sorry to anyone who is disappointed, but I feel it is necessary and for the best. Thank you to everyone who has read and commented thus far, I feel I'm letting you down and I hope you can understand. I hope everyone had wonderful holidays and that 2017 is kind to all of you. Hopefully I'll be back soon, but no promises. Thank you all so much and I'm sorry again.


	26. Sisters and Misters

Getting back to New York was a relief. Jennifer dropped Derek and Stiles back at the firm so they could report back to Jackson on what had happened with Harris and, somehow, the smell of fumes in the air, and the sound of busy streets was comforting. Miraculously, things weren't awkward with Stiles. In fact, after the events that transpired in their room, things were actually really good!

Jackson was pleased with the result, if not a little upset Derek managed to do it all by himself, and sent them both on their way. In the elevator ride back down, Stiles made some joke that you kind of had to be there to find funny about Jackson, that had Derek laughing all the way to the ground floor. It was the easiest conversation they'd had in weeks.

"You wanna cab share? I'm going up your way?" Stiles offered as they walked out of the building onto the familiar New York street.

Derek had missed it. He'd missed the grey, although everything seemed a lot less dull these days. Like in A Christmas Carol where Dickens talks about light all the time as Scrooge changes from grumpy old git into an actually functioning human being. What, Derek likes classic lit, okay?

"No, I'm alright. I'm actually gonna go see Laura, it's the opposite side of the city." Derek explained, smiling Stiles. "I guess I'll see you around."

"I'll count on it, friend." Stiles grinned in reply, hailing a cab with the ease of someone who had lived in New York for years.

Derek smiled and walked in the direction of the tube. With each step, his bag hit his legs, but he barely noticed the pain. He knew being friends would be difficult after everything he and Stiles had been through, but he felt maybe, just maybe, they could actually make it work somehow.

\--

"Derek!" Laura exclaimed as Derek walked through the door into her apartment, "You're back!"

"Nope, I'm a figment of your imagination," Derek replied facetiously, catching Laura in his arms for a hug.

Laura just rolled her eyes fondly as she pulled away, closing the door behind them. Derek dropped his back next to her coat stand, and walked into the living room. Laura followed, and dropped down on the sofa next to him, tucking her legs underneath herself. The TV was on showing some crappy court room drama Laura was obsessed with. Imagine How to Get Away With Murder, except instead of interesting characters you have two dimensional assholes, and the cute gay couple are replaced with some over the top heterosexual clusterfuck with cheating and lying and secrets and all that other bullshit.

"How was Ligonier?" she asked politely.

Derek shrugged, "Alright, I guess. I managed to fix everything, so that was good."

"And you and Stiles?" Laura continued, conversationally.

It was the first time in a long time where Derek didn't stiffen at the sound of Stiles' name, or feel a trickle of dread down his spine. It felt... nice. It was strange, sure, but comforting. He was a man of few friends, and the few he did have seemed to be turning on him, Boyd being a perfect example. But in Stiles he knew he had a real, loyal friend, which is how he replied to Laura.

"So you're not in a dating zone?" Laura pressed for clarification.

"No, not now." Derek explained.

Laura grinned mischievously and said in a sing-song voice, "I may have someone who you might be interested in, then."

"Laura, Derek said in a warning tone.

Laura just rolled her eyes. "He's nice. He works in accountancy and - don't look at me like that, he isn't a total bore! _And_ he's lovely. He got out of a long term relationship a few months ago, and is looking to start dating seriously again. Derek, I love you, but you haven't had a serious relationship or been on a date since Kate. Maybe it's time you started putting yourself out there a bit more."

She sounded so sincere, but Derek wasn't so sure. Kate had messed him up pretty bad, and he'd spent months avoiding the subject with Stiles, he wasn't sure he _could_ date. Maybe he was an invalid when it came to romance? He did hate the clichés, detested the obnoxious 'his and hers' merchandise in the stores, thought PDA was revolting. Maybe he was incapable of an actual, proper, serious relationship?

"Look, his name's Jordan, just call him, okay?" Laura said, handing him a napkin with a number sharpied onto it.

Derek wasn't convinced but didn't dare say. Besides, maybe it was time to move on, or maybe Derek was kidding himself.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> DID YOU MISS ME!  
> Okay, so prepare for, like, three more chapters of disappointment, but I have officially finished writing this fic.  
> In my last author's note I said I wanted to wait to post properly good chapters, but this fic has been hanging over my head for months and I've really grown to hate it so I just want it done!  
> I'll be posting every day I can until this fic is over because I seriously want it over.  
> What this fic has taught me is to wait until you have a significant amount of chapters for a multi-chap fic written before posting it so you never run out of things to post and don't end up going MIA for months on end.  
> Please leave comments if you have anything to say, I do accept constructive criticism so long as it is constructive.  
> I do want to apologise again for how bad the ending will be!  
> Maybe one day I'll revisit this fic and give it the ending the people who have persevered with it from the start deserve, but that is just not a realistic goal right now.  
> Thanks for reading!


	27. Medling Sisters and Terrible Dates

Saturday, Derek got home from his daily workout and found a note taped to his fridge as he went to get a bottle of water. It was clearly Laura's handwriting and read, _Call Jordan, Der!_ with a number scribbled across the bottom. Derek rolled his eyes as he took a long gulp of water. He left the half empty bottle on the counter and went to shower. It was brief, and he was out and dressed in joggers and a tank top pretty quickly.

He walked back into the kitchen and downed the rest of his water before tossing the bottle in the trash. He turned around and the note on his fridge caught his eye once more. He sighed and leaned back against his counter, closing his eyes. He supposed he was being stupid, thinking he was cursed or something never to be able to love and be loved without it being _complicated_.

With a resolved sigh, Derek fished his phone out of his back pocket, and typed the number in. Before pressing the call button, he hesitated. Stiles. His mind flooded with amber eyes, pale skin, a constellation of moles. He and Stiles were just friends, but he knew that if circumstances were different, they would be far more than that. Dating someone else would mean it was the end of whatever they could be.

But they couldn't be anything, Derek knew that and reminded himself of it often. He wasn't naive enough to believe that if he wished hard enough then everything would right itself, there was no getting out of Jackson and the media, not for either of them. And it had been nice to believe they could, even for just a little while, but he knew there was just no way it could ever really work.

So, feeling apprehensive, he pressed the call button, and listened to it ring through twice. "Hey. Jordan, right?" Derek said when the phone was answered.

"Yeah, who is this?" Jordan replied. He had a nice voice, Derek told himself, forcing himself not to compare it to Stiles'.

"My name's Derek. Derek Hale. My sister gave me your number, said to call." Derek explained, reminding himself to breathe. He hadn't done this in a very, very long time.

"Oh, yeah, Laura, right? She mentioned a brother." Jordan replied easily, clearly more comfortable with this kind of thing than Derek.

"I was wondering if you were maybe free tonight? I know it's short notice, but there's this great Italian near that old library, it's closing soon. I was wondering if you wanted to go? On a date, maybe?" Derek stumbled over his words, and spoke fast. He knew he sounded stupid, but didn't know what else to say. He was asking his High School Crush to homecoming all over again - blundering, unsteady, stupid.

There was silence on the other end of the phone for a short while, but then there was Jordan's voice saying, "Sure, why not. I'll meet you there?"

"Great, I'll be the guy standing awkwardly in a corner like a startled deer." Derek joked.

Jordan laughed - which was as nice as when he spoke - and said, "Awesome. I'll be the weird guy looking lost."

They said goodbye and hung up. The conversation left a light feeling in Derek's stomach, one he hadn't felt in a long time. Dating he wasn't good at, and people he wasn't good at, but Jordan seemed nice, so maybe the date wouldn't be a complete disaster?

\--

The date was a complete disaster. They both spent ten minutes stumbling around on the small piazza outside the restaurant, before Jordan tapped Derek softly on the shoulder. Derek spun around to face him, and didn't manage to school his features in time. Jordan was a handsome enough guy, with short brown hair and pale sea green eyes. But what shocked Derek was the scars.

They covered just under half of his face, but trailed down his neck into his shirt. They looked like burn scars, and made the skin look rough and patchy. They were pale, as though he had obtained them some time ago, but were noticeable enough. Still, they didn't distract from the handsomeness of his face as a whole.

"Shit, I'm so sorry, I didn't mean-"

"Don't worry," Jordan quickly interrupted, swallowing hard and forcing a smile which didn't quite meet his eyes. "I'm used to it." Derek could only nod.

That was just the beginning. They walked inside and asked for a table for two, and the waiter gave them a condescending sort of look, one which bordered repulsion. Derek wasn't _new_ to dating guys, but it was the first time he'd met someone who was so blatantly uncomfortable. Jordan, who seemed like a veteran in the area, just glared in response, eyes daring the waiter to say something. He didn't. He just led them to a table in a dark corner in the back of the restaurant, almost as though to hide them from view, and gave them both a food and a drink menu.

Conversation began stilted, but slowly began to become more comfortable as they discovered all they had in common. For example, they both enjoyed working out and reading books. By the end of the night they were even laughing and joking, almost like they were old friends. It wasn't awkward or uncomfortable any more, it was quite familiar and enjoyable. But some things had to be said.

"Look, Jordan, you're a great guy and I would really love to go out again." Derek said when they were outside waiting for Jordan's Uber to arrive.

Jordan smiled, a little bitterly, like he knew what Derek meant. "But just as friends."

Derek shook his head and smiled back sadly, "I don't know. I only asked you out to try and get my mind off of someone, maybe find someone new I could really be with. I'm just not in the right head space for a relationship, at least not with you. But you really are great, and I'd like to stay friends."

Jordan laughed a little and nodded, "Honestly, same. My last boyfriend and I are on a 'break'. I don't know, I guess I agreed to come out with you tonight to get over him, too. But I did have a good time, and I'd like to be friends. Maybe grab coffee, eventually be each others' wingman. That sort of stuff."

As a date it had been a disaster, but at least it had led to something positive. Derek grinned, a real, honest-to-God grin, one he hadn't really felt in a while. And just like that, Derek had a new best friend. He just needed to decide what to do about his old one...

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Okay, everything is really drawing to a close now. There are two more chapters to post and then this story is over (thank the heavens!) and I'll never have to look at it again!   
> I just want to apologise again for the crappy quality of these last few chapters, but I just need this finished so I never have to think about it again. I've tried to tie up loose ends as much as possible and I give everyone permission to hate me if they choose, I think if roles were reversed I'd be at least a little bitter.  
> Thank you to DeputyDilinski for commenting on my last chapter.  
> If you're feeling lovely, you could leave kudos and a lil comment? I do accept constructive criticism!  
> Thanks so much for reading.


	28. Lunch Time and Life Plans

Derek couldn't stop thinking about Erica the next day, or how he was supposed to tell her. The guilt was starting to eat at him and even Jordan, who had known him for only a few weeks, could tell there was something up with him. He kept looking at him like he could see straight through him, but didn't say anything. His gaze was unnerving and reminded Derek of Stiles in the worst possible way.

"Alright, what's up?" Jordan asked finally, resting his head in his hand and raising his eyebrows at Derek.

They were at a restaurant in the middle of the city which Jordan had been talking about for weeks, and Derek had finally found time to go with him. Being friends with Jordan was easy, easier than it was to be friends with anyone else in his life. He thought is was probably that he wasn't worried about falling for him or falling out with him or, somehow worse, him falling in love with Derek.

Derek rolled his eyes but couldn't supress a smile, "It's just this friend of mine... It's complicated."

"Did I not mention? Complicated is my middle name," Jordan teases taking another bite out of his BLT.

Derek huffs a laugh, and shakes his head, wrapping some more spaghetti onto his fork. They met for meals at least once a week, but most of the time it was more often than that. Derek liked the company, and Jordan had a lot of free time on his hand that was better spent cheering up Derek that sitting around his apartment, bored out of his mind all day. Really, it was a win-win type of situation.

"So, my friend - well, ex-friend, I suppose. He cheated on his girlfriend and it's only me and him who know about it, and I know I need to tell her but I don't want to, like, ruin her life." Derek explained.

 _Vodka soaked veins,_ it said in one of Stiles' books - _Breathing_ , Derek thinks. _Whiskey on the lips of the victims of sins. The promise of an eternal life in the minds you have wronged as forever they wonder why they were never enough. It leads to way to a shrinks wet-dream; trust issues, alcoholism, self-doubt. Do not allow me to feed the pockets of the pretentious, my dear Carmyn, is all I ask_.

God, everything led back to him these days. They barely saw each other, whenever Stiles had meetings he was in and out of the office without ever bumping into each other. Derek was thankful. His heart ached for Stiles, well, his _everything_ ached for Stiles, but he was an old romantic, what could he say! Deep down, however, he knew it was probably best they saw so little of each other, that way neither of them would succumb to temptation.

"Jeez," Jordan exhaled.

"Yeah, and now they're engaged and Boyd's, like, now a complete ass. I've tried confronting him about it a hundred times, but he's just resorted to threats." Derek sighed.

He was so tired. Tired of worrying about Boyd and Erica, tired about constantly having to prove himself to Jackson, tired of keeping away from Stiles. He just wanted everything to go back to how it was before, when his life was simple, and all he had to worry about was juggling his actual job with doing favours for Laura and working at A Peony Saved every now and again. He had thought that his life was complicated _then_.

"Threats?"

"Yeah, about my position, my job." Derek elaborated.

"Well if your position at Boyd and Whittmore is in danger, why not set up your own firm. I could help you get it all started, I'd not even charge you." Jordan offered.

"You sound like my sisters," Derek teased.

He did. Laura never dropped the whole 'be like Dad, start your own business' thing. She managed to convince Cora to start pestering him about it, too. They were insufferable, the pair of them. Derek wouldn't have been surprised if they'd put Jordan up to this conversation right now, it would be just like them. He was unable to supress a slight smile at the thought.

"Okay, so your family isn't so good at setting people up on dates, but A Peony is a good business, why not try it?" Jordan pressed.

Derek, in that moment with Jordan who made it all sound so very simple, couldn't think of a single good reason why not.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Are my tenses getting messed up? I keep writing in a mixture of tenses in my other work so I always forget what I'm meant to be writing in in this! Perhaps I should have gotten a beta? Never mind - I'm thinking about changing the title of this work to life lessons because that's what is seems to be for me now!
> 
> Thanks to Les430 and kittykat1979 for commenting on my last chapter. Everyone's lovely comments are making me regret how much of a burden this has become because I hate to disappoint people!
> 
> If you want to message me my Instagram is @Favefangirl and my Tumblr is [nebulous--bounds](https://www.tumblr.com/blog/nebulous--bounds) I'm more than happy to answer any questions, maybe fill any prompts or just generally converse with you lovely people. Be sure to follow me, too, if you want! I'm mostly multi-fan and I blog a lot about writing (especially on Tumblr). You can also follow me on Pinterest [here](https://www.pinterest.co.uk/Favefangirl/)
> 
> Leave a kudos or a comment if you're feeling lovely! I accept concrit (clearly I need it)!
> 
> Thanks so much for reading, have a wonderful existence!


	29. Goodye and Hello

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Prepare for a much longer chapter than usual in which I try and tie up any loose ends and probably botch it with a rushed ending. Enjoy!

Shouting, and lots of it. He was scared to knock but he knew he couldn't keep putting this off - it was now or never. With Jordan's words still in his mind, he knocked on the door, loudly to combat the noise coming from inside the apartment. The shouting ceased for a moment, suddenly bathing the hallway in silence, then the door was yanked open and a furious looking Erica stood inside. Her cheeks were tear stained, her hair was knotted like she'd been running her hands through it, and she looked _pissed_.

"If now is a bad time I can-"

"Get in here, Hale," Erica interrupted, stepping aside to let him in. Even this simple movement seemed angry.

Tentatively, Derek stepped inside and saw a sheepish looking Boyd stood in the corner. There was a smashed vase near to him, and water dripping down the walls. White Chrysanthemums, purple Hyacinths, violet Hydrangeas and white Zinnias laid amongst the carnage - an apology, a beg for forgiveness. If you can't say it with words why not say it with flowers - of course Boyd would, the coward.

"You knew, didn't you?" Erica demanded slamming the door shut behind her.

"What-"

"About what _he-_ " Erica violently jabbed a finger in Boyd's direction, not even looking at him "-did! Of course you knew, you tell each other everything. I just thought maybe I'd be in the loop!"

"Erica, I'm so sorry. I know I should have told you and I was going to, but I was hoping he would first." Derek explained, trying to sound as sincere as possible. "Which he did, so..."

Erica laughed bitterly so Derek trailed off. "He didn't have the balls to tell me, the slut he's been fucking called and I picked up. She told me everything. She had no idea about me either."

Derek turned to glare at Boyd. "You told me it was only once!" Derek cried.

Boyd looked very much like he wanted the ground to open up and swallow him whole. Derek thought that this was far less than he deserved. If he was Erica, he wouldn't be nearly so calm. She was crying again, her fists balled at her sides, her face crumpled. Derek had never seen her like this before and thought that perhaps she wasn't quite so calm after all.

"I don't want to see either of you ever again," she said, sounding tired and defeated. She walked towards her bedroom, leaving something on her coffee table as she went. "Close the door behind you," she huffed before slamming her bedroom door shut behind her.

Derek looked at the coffee table and saw she had left her engagement ring.

\--

Derek still had a sour taste at the back of his throat as he approached the door to his own apartment. It had been a long day, and all he wanted was to curl up with a cup of coffee and a good book - probably one of Stiles'. He ran a hand over his face as he fished for his key walking down his hall, and when he moved his hand he saw Jordan waiting for him outside his front door, fidgeting with the sleeves of his blazer.

"Jordan," Derek greeted, "You okay?"

"I just- I did something stupid, Der." Jordan confessed, face furrowed as though he was embarrassed and disappointed somehow at the same time. "I didn't know who else to turn to."

"Hey," Derek soothed, "Whatever it is, I'm sure we can sort this out."

Jordan nodded, his lips twisting into a small, weak smile. "Thanks."

Derek unlocked the door and let them both in. Jordan had been to his place on only a couple of occasions, and usually only to pick Derek up or drop him off whenever they went out to lunch together, so he appeared uncomfortable stood in the middle of the room. He was biting the inside of his lip, and Derek felt for him but wasn't sure how to comfort him. With his sisters he always knew exactly what to do, but this was different. This was a friend and he didn't have a friend in the city except Boyd and, well, that couldn't have ended any worse!

"You, uh, want a coffee? Water? Beer?" Derek asked trying to be polite.

"No, thanks." Jordan replied. "Can I, uh, can I sit?"

"Sure, yeah, please do," Derek agreed, gesturing to his couch. Jordan sat down stiffly on one end of the couch, so Derek sat on the other. "So, what is this terrible thing you've done? Do I need to act like a lawyer or..."

"No, no, nothing like _that_ ," Jordan insisted. He shook his head, took a deep breath, and began to explain his situation. "So, my ex, you know the one I'm not over? Well, he and I parted on pretty good terms as far as break ups go. He wanted to focus on his career and he didn't think he could have both. Well, I got a little drunk the other night with some buddies from work and I  _may_  have drunk dialled him."

"No," Derek said, eyes widening. Just after his break up with Kate, Boyd had insisted that whenever Derek was drinking, he have his phone to prevent just this. Kate was a psychopath, jealous and possessive in the worst ways Her constant need to be close by suffocated Derek and Boyd was determined to stop him going back to that. He was a good friend once upon a time.

"I started telling him how much I loved him, how much I missed him, how I was willing to work however hard we had to for our relationship to work and for him to have the job he wanted." Jordan explained.

"What did he say?" Derek asked.

Jordan laughed, bitterly. "Well, I got a call from his new boyfriend this morning asking me to delete his number and not call them again."

"Oh, Jordan, I'm so sorry." Derek soothed. "That sucks, are you okay? I mean, I know you're not okay, but do you need anything?"

Jordan shook his head and smiled a little. "I think I just needed to talk to someone. This may sound ridiculous since I've lived in the city nearly all my life but I feel like you're the first person I've met who I can really talk to." Jordan shook his head again. "Is that weird?"

"No," Derek assured him, "Not at all. Boyd he- I thought that he was the greatest guy in the world. He and his girlfriend were what I wanted from a relationship, he was sensible in both his personal and professional lives and he seemed like a good guy. I think this city does things to people, makes them into monsters. You can't really trust monsters."

Jordan nodded as though he understood which Derek thought was pretty miraculous since he wasn't entirely sure he understood what he was talking about himself. They made small talk after that, easing into the conversation gradually, Jordan slowly becoming less tense and relaxing into the couch. Derek was relieved; Jordan seemed happier and more comfortable around him, it was nice. Soon though, Jordan had to leave.

"Duty calls," he said, standing up. Derek followed him and walked with him out of the door into the hall.

Just before he left, Jordan turned around and tentatively wrapped his arms around Derek in a friendly hug. In response, Derek smiled and wrapped his own arms around Jordan. He'd never had a friend who he hugged before, but he quite liked it. Quite liked the obvious closeness and trust which he thought were the fundamentals in a good friendship, although he was hardly an expert on relationships.

His eyes had closed without him even realising, and when he opened them again he was met with a surprising sight. Stiles, standing awkwardly in the hall holding a bouquet of roses - the card poking out of the top revealed that they were from A Peony - an expression on his face which was somewhere between hurt and shocked. Derek quickly pulled his arms away from Jordan and took a step back, which he supposed was counter productive as it made it look like there _was_ something which Stiles was interrupting, even though there really wasn't.

"Derek?" Stiles whispered sounding pained.

Jordan spun around looking confused. When he caught sight of Stiles he gasped. "You must be Stiles," Jordan said. He extended a hand, "I'm Jordan." Stiles just stared at it like it was something nasty and made no move to greet Jordan in response. "Okay then," Jordan muttered.

"Stiles, what are you doing here?" Derek forced himself to say, still shocked.

"If I'm interrupting something-"

Jordan's eyes widened like he'd just realise what this looked like and quickly interrupted. "No, oh God no. I'm not- We're not." He let out a breathy little laugh and started again. "I'm Derek's friend. _Just friend_ , I was actually here to mope about my ex boyfriend who I'm still in love with. We're not, like, together or anything." Stiles nodded but still looked sceptical. "Anyway, I'd better go. Thanks again, Derek."

Derek nodded and watched as Jordan left. He had to squeeze around Stiles who had been frozen in place throughout the entire exchange, still holding the roses, still looking pained. Derek wanted to wrap his arms around Stiles in the sort of embrace that was far, far from platonic, but he didn't think that would be the right thing to do in this situation, so he stayed firmly rooted to the spot.

"What are you doing here?" Derek repeated.

"I heard you quit, wanted to come and be a good friend," Stiles explained, far too stiff for Derek's liking.

"The flowers?" Derek prompted, nodding to the bouquet in Stiles' hand. He was pretty sure friends didn't get each other red roses, not even if they were going through turmoil in their lives.

"Who was that guy really?" Stiles asked, ignoring Derek's question.

"Just a friend," Derek said echoing what Jordan had said earlier. "He's helping me set up my own firm so I can get away from Boyd and Jackson."

"Oh," Stiles breathed, blushing like he realised how silly he had been to assume anything else. "Sorry."

"Don't be, I'd have thought the same." Derek assured him with a little smile.

"These are for you," Stiles said thrusting them at Derek none too gently. "Your sisters seem nice."

Derek laughed and took the flowers, "Yeah, they're something." He realised they were still loitering outside his apartment so added, . "Ah, you want to come in?"

Stiles nodded and stepped into the apartment. Derek ignored how perfectly Stiles fit in his living room reminding himself not to get ahead of himself, although the flowers were probably a pretty clear sign of what Stiles was here for. He tried to keep his expression from giving away how hopeful he felt, not wanting to overstep any boundaries and end up pushing Stiles away again. This game of cat and mouse had been going on for far too long and Derek just wanted to know where they stood with each other.

"So, why'd you do it?" Stiles asked.

"Quit?" Derek confirmed and Stiles nodded. "I owe a lot to Boyd and Whittemore, it's where I started after all. But I guess I realised it was just holding me back, so I decided to quit. Jordan and my sister are both going to help me set up my own firm. It'll be long and expensive, but it'll be worth it in the end."

Stiles nodded like he understood exactly what Derek was saying and took a step towards him, looking uncertain and shy but with a coy little smile tugging at his lips. Derek could take a good guess as to what he was thinking as he was thinking almost the same thing. Stiles wasn't a conflict of interest anymore, there was nothing more Jackson or Boyd could do to hurt them. Realising this, Derek took a step forwards, too, trying to show Stiles that it was okay, that he still wanted this as well.

"I guess," Stiles said, barely above a whisper, "that makes you a free man."

"So it does," Derek conceded, taking another step forwards. They were close enough now that Derek could smell Stiles' cologne.

"Do you think that means that maybe- I mean, you don't have to- If you still want to be friends, I'll do that- But I just-"

Stiles was cut off by the press of Derek's lips against his. He let out a shocked squeak at first, but got with the programme pretty quick and began to relax into Derek. He wrapped his arms around Derek's neck while Derek let one of his snake around Stiles' waist, the other landing in Stiles unruly hair. The kiss was slow and soft, there was no clashing teeth or biting of lips. It was lazy and calm. It was perfect.

Derek broke away and whispered, "I have never wanted anything more."

"It's not going to be easy," Stiles said, suddenly sober. "We may have Jackson off our backs, but there's still so much else to contend with."

Derek laughed softly and hummed, "Why are you trying to talk me out of this?"

"Because we've been playing this game for far too long to change our minds along the way," Stiles explained.

Derek shook his head softly. "I'll never change my mind, not about you, Stiles."

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Just a couple hundred word epilogue left (which I'll post tomorrow) then this is done!
> 
> Thanks to icedxtc and Les430 for commenting on my last chapter.
> 
> I accept concrit!
> 
> Sorry if this chapter seems rushed, I just wanted to tie up any loose ends. This story consumed my life so I wanted to make sure that there was real closure.
> 
> Please leave comments and Kudos if you're feeling lovely.
> 
> If you want to message me my Instagram is @Favefangirl and my Tumblr is [nebulous--bounds](https://www.tumblr.com/blog/nebulous--bounds)   
>  I'm more than happy to answer any questions, maybe fill any prompts or just generally converse with you lovely people. Be sure to follow me, too, if you want! I'm mostly multi-fan and I blog a lot about writing (especially on Tumblr). You can also follow me on Pinterest [here](https://www.pinterest.co.uk/Favefangirl/)
> 
> Thanks for reading, have a wonderful existence!


	30. Hello and Goodbye

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Prepare yourself for the mother of all fluff!  
> Also, hints at smut, but we all know I'm not smut writer!  
> Enjoy!

**One year later --**

"Nope," Stiles groaned wrapping his long limbs more tightly around Derek.

Derek laughed into Stiles' neck. "C'mon, we can't stay in bed all day, Stiles."

"We can try," Stiles mumbled.

Derek shook his head. "You have a press conference in two hours and as a lawyer I have to advise that you attend. Everyone's expecting you."

"Everyone can wait," Stiles huffed. "Whose idea was it that I should release _Tragedy_ on our anniversary."

"Yours," Derek answered, poking Stiles in the side. "You said you wanted to dedicate it to me. You said, and I quote, 'I want to do romantic shit for you, fucking sue me'."

"Yeah, well I didn't realise that meant I would have to sacrifice the day of only sex I had planned at the time," Stiles pouted.

"Well, if you get up now I'll let you shower with me," Derek offered, looking for a compromise. Immediately Stiles perked up and Derek rolled his eyes affectionately.

\--

"Hello Mr. Hale, professional lawyer and boyfriend to everyone's favourite cynical writer, how is today treating you?" the voice through the phone said teasingly.

"Well Miss Reyes, today is treating me great. I'm making pancakes for my lazy boyfriend who refuses to get out of bed, but I'm not allowed to complain because he just gave me a blowjob in the shower, how about you?" Derek replies fondly, pressing the phone between his ear and his shoulder as he tried to manoeuvre the pancakes from the pan onto the plate with a bendy spatula.

"I got out of a meeting with my boss and he introduced me to his divorce lawyer, Vernon Boyd," Erica explained and Derek could hear the ice in her voice. "I got to tell him to go fuck himself!"

"Wow, your day's even better than mine." Derek joked.

It had taken months until Erica was willing to talk to Derek again, and they were still rebuilding their friendship even now. It had been Jordan's idea for them to talk it through, he said something about how they had both been hurt by Boyd so if anyone was going to understand what they were each going through, then it was the other. He had been right, like always. They realised that it wasn't either of their faults that Boyd turned out to be a massive ass, and that they needed to forgive to move on. Derek didn't think Erica will ever truly forgive him, but they're working on it. Derek would never want a life without Erica in it.

"You bet your pretty little ass it is," Erica replied, then cackled. _Cackled_. Derek was a little bit in love with this woman.

"Don't make comments about my ass too loudly, I have a very possessive, very unforgiving boyfriend you know," Derek said, grinning.

"You bet you do," a sleepy voice mumbled from behind him.

Stiles had finally managed to drag himself out of bed and had pulled on the boxers he had been wearing yesterday, and one of Derek's hoodies which was at least two sizes too big for him. He managed to stumble to the breakfast table and throw himself dramatically into one of the chairs before letting out a long groan. It was obvious he had fallen back to sleep after their shower together, and he was paying for that power nap.

"Sorry Erica, gotta go. I have a night of the living dead situation going on here," Derek said, watching Stiles. "I'm pretty sure the zombies got to Stiles, if I never see you again, know that I always loved you."

Erica laughs on the other end. "And you say Stiles is dramatic." Derek can practically hear her shaking her head. "See you, Derek."

"I made pancakes," Derek says after he hangs up, placing his phone on the worktop and the plate of breakfast on the table.

Stiles grins at him fondly, sleepily. "I love you."

Derek tries not to laugh, honest.

\--

"Mr Stilinski," A reporter with bobbed blonde hair and a pretty face began, "Sources suggest that unlike the rest of your series, _Tragedy_ doesn't hold the same sort of cynical tone as the other books. How would you respond to that?"

"Well," Stiles replied leaning forward to speak into the microphone, "The others I wrote from a place of my own cynicism. I was pessimistic because I didn't believe that there was that goodness in the world which optimists are always talking about. I was down on the see-saw of hope and so I wrote that way."

"And you're not in that place anymore?" the reporter asked. Derek could just see that the name tag on her jacket read Malia Tate.

Stiles smiled a little wistfully. "No, I'm not." He shook his head. "I guess I realised that the reason I'd never experienced all that goodness is because I've never worked for it. I went through my whole life thinking that love was easy and painless, that friendships were uncomplicated and formed over years of knowing each other, and that family had to be around each other constantly to be close. Now I realise that if you're willing to fight for something, be it love or friendship or a close relationship with your family, what you get in the end might just be worth it."

Stiles caught Derek's eye and shot him a surreptitious smile before turning back to the large crowd of reporters desperate for something good to write in their magazines, hoping for a little juicy gossip. Derek looked down at the ground and couldn't supress his own smile. He had a career, he had a good friend in Jordan, he had his little sister back, and now he had Stiles too.

Before he had met Stiles at _A Peony_ , Derek had been miserable. He missed the sister who he thought despised him, he didn't trust his own best friend, and he was working for a man who's sole aim in life was to make _his_ miserable. He hadn't intended for a miracle to happen that day, but he was sure glad it did, and he wouldn't change it for the world. Maybe not everything good that happened was because of Stiles, maybe very little of it was, but his life is still so much better with Stiles in it.

Perhaps Derek had been living in his own place of cynicism. Perhaps the world wasn't all grey but a bright, colourful place after all. Perhaps it was a place where people like him could truly, honestly be happy. Looking up at where Stiles was talking animatedly to the reporters, those beautiful amber eyes glinting in the flashes of cameras, all moles and pale skin and sarcasm. Looking at the man he loved, he knew there was no perhaps about it.

___Fin._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ladies and gentlemen (and everyone in between) that is a wrap!
> 
> Happy one year anniversary, this epilogue is the final chapter, and your anniversary gift! This fanfic turned 1 years old today!
> 
> Exactly one year ago today, naive and ambitious me decided to start a multi-chap fic (at eleven o'clock at night I might add) based on a prompt that I didn't even like that much with pretty much no planning. One year (and two _long_ breaks) later and here were are. The end of the road. Fini, finito, terminado, terminat, gotowy, kumalizika, finished. 
> 
> A huge, huge, huge thanks to; AvidReader, princessmandablackleg, mels90, ItsGreanBear, Meaghan898, DeputyDylisnki, Kelmeckis, Lovemylife, 1stBonesFan_is_SterekGirl, keltieful, ellie, questions, mttmercado, coreofcuddles, Storm, lordkirashand, finestsymphony, wantingthis2, MeegaNalaKweesta, icedxtc, HoechlinEverAfter, Scarlett_Liz, spalso, v, Les430, AvaLongway, Melancholy_Violinist_08, kittkat1979! Your comments are whay inspired me to keep writing even when I wanted to do anything but, so thank you so much for that.
> 
> I had already written this and it was super short, but then Les430 commented on my last chapter and I just couldn't leave Erica's story unfinished.
> 
> Other points to make -   
> Jordan has a new boyfriend who is lovely and is like best friends with Stiles. They go on double dates all the time.  
> Cora is still single, but happily so. Her and Laura are constantly terrorising Derek.  
> Laura's boyfriend from way back when this was still a decent story with actual direction is not longer her boyfriend. He's now her fiancé. Derek couldn't be happier for them.  
> Boyd is single, miserable but rich. There is no justice in the world. Although he does have to live everyday knowing he let Erica down and out of his life.  
> Derek's new company is just starting to get off the ground.  
> Isaac found a new guy (tbh, probably Scott because I haven't mentioned him yet) and they're very happy together. He and Stiles are actually still friends, but not that close. 
> 
> I just want to say thank you to anyone who made it this far. This has been a big part of my life for a very long time and now that it's over it's both a relief and a little sad. I hope the ending didn't disappoint too many people. Sorry if it did.
> 
> Thanks so much for reading, have a wonderful existence, I love you all so much it's ridiculous!
> 
> Just because this is over doesn't mean you can't still talk to me! If you want to message me my Instagram is @Favefangirl and my Tumblr is [nebulous--bounds](https://www.tumblr.com/blog/nebulous--bounds) I'm more than happy to answer any questions, maybe fill any prompts or just generally converse with you lovely people. Be sure to follow me, too, if you want! I'm mostly multi-fan and I blog a lot about writing (especially on Tumblr). You can also follow me on Pinterest [here](https://www.pinterest.co.uk/Favefangirl/)
> 
> Thanks again so, so, so, so, so much! I hope you all go on to live wonderful lives.
> 
> Thank you, and goodnight.

**Author's Note:**

> Fun fact!  
> Kent, derived from Kenneth, means 'born of fire'. He died in a fire. Ha, ha, ha. I hate myself....  
> Anyway! Please leave Kudos and comment ideas about things you thing should happen next! The more inspiration I have, the sooner I'll update.  
> Be sure to follow my Instagram- Favefangirl -for notifications about when the next chapter will be up.  
> I'll be sure to leave a link to the fic on my tumblr which is [ HERE ](https://www.tumblr.com/blog/all-the-best-urls-were-used)  
> Thank you!


End file.
